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Improper Input ValidationWeakness · CWE-20

CVE-2025-20027

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v4.0 Published 2026-03-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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 · unedited
Improper input validation in the UEFI WheaERST 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.

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 confidence

This is an improper input validation vulnerability in the UEFI WheaERST (Windows Hardware Error Architecture Error Record Table) module present on certain Intel reference platforms. The flaw allows a privileged user with local access to escalate privileges by exploiting the input validation weakness in the firmware module, though the attack has high complexity requirements.

MitigationApply firmware updates from Intel or the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for affected reference platforms. Since this is a UEFI firmware-level vulnerability, operating system patches will not address it.

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
High
Privileges
High
Authentication
X
User interaction
None
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Intel reference platform hardware
    Check system information using 'dmidecode -s system-manufacturer' and 'dmidecode -s system-product-name' or check CPU info with 'lscpu | grep -i intel'. This vulnerability affects certain Intel reference platforms, not all Intel systems.
    Affected if The system is an Intel reference platform known to include the WheaERST UEFI module
  2. Determine UEFI firmware version
    Check current UEFI/BIOS firmware version via 'dmidecode -s bios-version' or through system firmware settings. Intel reference platforms will have specific firmware version numbers that can be compared against Intel's security advisories.
    Affected if The installed firmware version matches the vulnerable versions specified in Intel's CVE-2025-20027 advisory
  3. Verify WheaERST module presence
    Check if WheaERST (Windows Hardware Error Architecture Error Record Table) is available on the system by examining UEFI setup menus or using 'efivar -l' if accessible. The WheaERST module must be present in the UEFI firmware for this vulnerability to apply.
    Affected if The WheaERST module exists in the system's UEFI firmware
  4. Confirm WheaERST is enabled in UEFI configuration
    Access UEFI/BIOS setup during boot and check for WheaERST-related settings under error handling, hardware error management, or similar configuration sections. The vulnerability requires the WheaERST functionality to be enabled.
    Affected if WheaERST is enabled in the UEFI firmware configuration settings

A system is affected only if it is an Intel reference platform with a vulnerable UEFI firmware version that includes the WheaERST module enabled in the configuration.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply firmware updates from Intel or the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for affected reference platforms. Since this is a UEFI firmware-level vulnerability, operating system patches will not address it.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,720
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-20027 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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