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Uncontrolled Search Path (DLL Hijack)Weakness · CWE-427

CVE-2025-20041

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
67/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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
Uncontrolled search path for some Intel(R) Graphics software for Intel(R) Arc™ graphics and Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe graphics before version 32.0.101.6325/32.0.101.6252 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 · high confidence

This is an uncontrolled search path vulnerability in Intel Graphics software for Arc and Iris Xe GPUs. The application searches for resources (likely DLLs) in an unsecured manner, allowing a local authenticated attacker to place malicious files in the search path that could be executed with elevated privileges, achieving local privilege escalation.

MitigationUpdate Intel Graphics software to version 32.0.101.6325 or 32.0.101.6252 or later to resolve the uncontrolled search path vulnerability.

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
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed Intel Graphics software
    Open Windows Settings > Apps > Apps & features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion' in PowerShell to list installed programs. Look for Intel Graphics software such as 'Intel Graphics Driver', 'Intel Iris Xe Graphics', 'Intel Arc Control', or similar Intel graphics-related packages.
    Affected if Intel Graphics software for Arc or Iris Xe GPUs is listed in installed programs
  2. Check Intel Graphics driver version via command line
    Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run 'dxdiag' or use 'Get-ItemProperty "C:\Windows\System32\igfxCUIService.exe" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object VersionInfo' to retrieve version details. Alternatively, open Intel Graphics Command Center and check the Driver version in the Settings or About section.
    Affected if The displayed driver version is below 32.0.101.6252 or 32.0.101.6325 (both are fixed versions)
  3. Check Windows Registry for Intel Graphics driver version
    Open Registry Editor (regedit) and navigate to 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\igfx' or 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Intel\Iris Graphics' to find the driver version entry. Use PowerShell: 'Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\igfx" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue'.
    Affected if The Version or DriverVersion registry value shows a version number lower than 32.0.101.6252 or 32.0.101.6325
  4. Verify the specific product is Arc or Iris Xe GPU
    Run 'dxdiag' and check the Display tab to confirm the GPU model is an Intel Arc or Iris Xe GPU. Alternatively, check Device Manager under Display adapters to identify the specific Intel GPU architecture.
    Affected if The system has an Intel Arc or Iris Xe GPU AND the driver version is below the fixed versions

A system is affected if it has Intel Graphics software for Arc or Iris Xe GPUs installed with a driver version lower than 32.0.101.6252 or 32.0.101.6325.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update Intel Graphics software to version 32.0.101.6325 or 32.0.101.6252 or later to resolve the uncontrolled search path vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

32.0.101.6325 (Arc) / 32.0.101.6252 (Iris Xe)

  1. Identify the current Intel graphics driver version via Device Manager or Intel Driver & Support Assistant
  2. Navigate to Intel's official support website or Intel Driver & Support Assistant
  3. Download Intel Graphics software version 32.0.101.6325 (for Intel Arc) or version 32.0.101.6252 (for Intel Iris Xe)
  4. Run the installer and follow the prompts to update the graphics driver
  5. Restart the computer to complete the installation
  6. Verify the new driver version is installed correctly
Caveat Routine driver update; standard graphics functionality is maintained

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2025-20041 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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