dbcve.org
Improper Input ValidationWeakness · CWE-20

CVE-2025-20068

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 ImcErrorHandler 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 a firmware vulnerability in the UEFI ImcErrorHandler module (related to Intel Memory Controller error handling) where improper input validation allows a privileged user with local access to escalate their privileges. The attack is high complexity and does not require user interaction.

MitigationApply the Intel firmware update containing the fix for this vulnerability through the system vendor/OEM. This is a UEFI firmware-level fix that cannot be addressed through software patches.

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 the UEFI/BIOS firmware version
    Access the system BIOS/UEFI setup during boot (typically via F2, F12, or Delete key) and record the firmware version string, or use tools like 'dmidecode -s bios-version' (Linux) or 'wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion' (Windows) from an OS with appropriate privileges.
    Affected if The firmware version falls within an affected range (if known) or is older than the corrected version containing the fix.
  2. Verify Intel Memory Controller hardware presence
    Check if the system uses an Intel processor with an integrated Memory Controller. On Linux, run 'lscpu | grep -i model' or check 'dmidecode -t processor' output. On Windows, use 'wmic cpu get name' or check system information.
    Affected if The system uses an Intel processor with an Intel Memory Controller (Imc) component, which is required for the vulnerable ImcErrorHandler module to exist.
  3. Inspect UEFI firmware for ImcErrorHandler module
    Extract and analyze the UEFI firmware image using tools like UEFI Tool, Chipsec, or flashrom to locate the ImcErrorHandler module. Check if this specific module is present in the firmware binary.
    Affected if The ImcErrorHandler module is present in the UEFI firmware, indicating the affected component is installed.
  4. Confirm local privileged access context
    Review system user accounts and permissions to determine if any standard or privileged local user accounts exist. The vulnerability requires a privileged user with local access.
    Affected if Local user accounts with administrative or root privileges exist on the system, providing a potential attacker with the required access level.
  5. Check system vendor/OEM for firmware update availability
    Visit the system manufacturer (Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc.) support website and search for available UEFI/BIOS updates. Look for Intel security advisories linked to CVE-2025-20068.
    Affected if A firmware update addressing CVE-2025-20068 is available but not yet applied to the system.

A system is affected if it contains an Intel Memory Controller with the ImcErrorHandler module in its UEFI firmware, runs an unpatched firmware version, and allows local privileged user access.

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 the Intel firmware update containing the fix for this vulnerability through the system vendor/OEM. This is a UEFI firmware-level fix that cannot be addressed through software patches.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-20068 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2025-20068 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data