CVE-2025-20003
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedImproper link resolution before file access ('Link Following') for some Intel(R) Graphics Driver software installers may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceThis is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Intel Graphics Driver software installers caused by improper link resolution before file access (link following/symlink attack). An authenticated local attacker could manipulate symbolic links during the driver installation process to gain elevated privileges on the system.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Intel Graphics Driver installationOpen Windows Settings > Apps > Installed Apps (or Programs and Features) and search for 'Intel Graphics' or 'Intel Graphics Driver', or run 'driverquery | findstr -i intel' in Command PromptAffected if Intel Graphics Driver software is installed on the system
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Determine installed driver versionRight-click the Intel Graphics Driver in Apps list and select 'Advanced options' to view version, or open Device Manager > Display adapters > Intel graphics > Driver tab, or run 'wmic product where "name like '%Intel%Graphics%'" get version'Affected if The driver version falls within the vulnerable version range (compare against Intel's official advisory for CVE-2025-20003)
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Check installer temporary directories for unauthorized filesInspect user-accessible directories where Intel installers extract temporary files (typically %TEMP% or %LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp) for unexpected files with SYSTEM privileges or new file placements after installer runsAffected if Unexpected files or symbolic/hard links exist in installer temp directories that could indicate exploitation attempts
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Audit recent file system activity in system directoriesUse Windows Event Logging (Security/Application logs) or File Explorer History to review file creation/modification in C:\Windows\System32, C:\Program Files, or C:\Program Files (x86) following any Intel Graphics Driver installation or updateAffected if Files were created or modified in protected system directories by an untrusted user account during or after driver installation
The environment is affected if Intel Graphics Driver is installed and the installed version matches the vulnerable versions referenced in Intel's CVE-2025-20003 advisory, or if suspicious file placements exist in system directories following driver installation.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply the vendor-provided patch or updated Intel Graphics Driver installer from official Intel channels. Until patched, restrict installation privileges and monitor for suspicious installer activity.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $11,072.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-20003 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-20003 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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