CVE-2025-20028
Received Received - Intake
TOCTOU Race Condition in Intel WheaERST SMM Module Enables Privilege Escalation

Publication date: 2026-03-10

Last updated on: 2026-03-10

Assigner: Intel Corporation

Description
Time-of-check time-of-use race condition in the WheaERST SMM module for some Intel(R) reference platforms may allow an escalation of privilege. System software adversary with a privileged user combined with a high complexity attack may enable escalation of privilege. This result may potentially occur via local access when attack requirements are present without special internal knowledge and requires no user interaction. The potential vulnerability may impact the confidentiality (high), integrity (high) and availability (high) of the vulnerable system, resulting in subsequent system confidentiality (none), integrity (none) and availability (none) impacts.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-03-10
Last Modified
2026-03-10
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-03-11
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
EUVD
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
intel wheaerst_smm *
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Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-367 The product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check.
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in the WheaERST SMM module found on some Intel reference platforms. It may allow an attacker with privileged user access and the ability to perform a complex local attack to escalate their privileges. The attack does not require special internal knowledge or user interaction.

Impact Analysis

The vulnerability can impact the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the vulnerable system at a high level. However, the description notes that subsequent impacts on system confidentiality, integrity, and availability are none, indicating that the primary risk is the escalation of privilege itself rather than direct damage to system data or availability.

Compliance Impact

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