CVE-2025-21099
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 · uneditedUncontrolled search path for some Intel(R) Graphics software 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 confidenceUncontrolled search path vulnerability in Intel Graphics software allows DLL hijacking. An authenticated local user could place a malicious DLL in a search path location, causing the Intel software to load it and execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Intel Graphics softwareOpen Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) and look for Intel graphics-related entries such as Intel Graphics Command Center, Intel Graphics Control Panel, Intel UHD Graphics drivers, or similar. Also check C:\Program Files\Intel for graphics-related folders.Affected if Intel Graphics software is installed on the system
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Determine Intel Graphics software versionRight-click the Intel graphics entry in Programs and Features and select Properties, then view the Version field. Alternatively, open the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Intel\Graphics* or C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\ig*), right-click the main executable (such as GFX.exe, igfx.exe, or Intel Graphics Control Panel.exe), and check its File Version.Affected if The installed version falls within an unpatched range for CVE-2025-21099 (compare your version to Intel's official security advisory for this CVE)
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Locate the Intel Graphics installation directoryRight-click the Intel graphics entry in Programs and Features, select Properties, and note the Install Location path. Common paths include C:\Program Files\Intel\GraphicsDriver or C:\Program Files\Intel\Intel(R) Processor Graphics.Affected if The installation directory path is identified for permission checking
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Verify directory permissions are not writable by standard usersRight-click the identified Intel graphics installation folder, select Properties, then go to the Security tab. Click Advanced. Check the Permission entries under the Effective Access tab or review each user/group permission. Ensure standard users (Authenticated Users, Users group, or specific user accounts) do not have Write or Modify permissions to the folder.Affected if Standard users have Write or Modify permissions to the Intel Graphics installation directory, allowing them to place a malicious DLL
The system is affected if Intel Graphics software is installed AND the installation directory allows standard users to write files, enabling DLL hijacking exploitation.
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 Intel-provided patches for affected graphics software versions. As an interim control, ensure the Intel graphics software directory is secured and not writable by standard users, and avoid running the software from untrusted network locations.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-21099 — 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-2025-21099 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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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.
- 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