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Incorrect Permission AssignmentWeakness · CWE-732

CVE-2025-35999

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
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
Incorrect permission assignment for critical resource for some System Firmware Update Utility (SysFwUpdt) for Intel(R) Server Boards and Intel(R) Server Systems Based before version 16.0.12. within Ring 3: User Applications may allow an escalation of privilege. System software adversary with a privileged user combined with a low 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 passive 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 · high confidence

The System Firmware Update Utility (SysFwUpdt) for Intel Server Boards and Systems contains an incorrect permission assignment that allows Ring 3 (user-level) applications to escalate privileges to higher trust levels. This local privilege escalation vulnerability stems from overly permissive access controls in the firmware update utility that should restrict certain operations to privileged contexts.

MitigationApply Intel System Firmware Update Utility version 16.0.12 or later to remediate the incorrect permission assignment. As this is a firmware-level update, follow standard firmware deployment procedures including testing in non-production environments first.

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/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. Locate the SysFwUpdt utility
    Search for SysFwUpdt.exe or sysfwupdt in common Intel utility directories such as C:\Program Files\Intel\, C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\, or the Windows\System32\DriverStore\ path. Also check for the utility in BMC/IPMI firmware update tools.
    Affected if The utility is found on the system - this indicates the vulnerable component is present.
  2. Determine the installed SysFwUpdt version
    Right-click the SysFwUpdt executable, select Properties, then go to the Details tab to view the File Version. Alternatively, run the command 'SysFwUpdt.exe -v' or 'SysFwUpdt.exe /version' from an elevated command prompt if supported.
    Affected if The version is lower than 16.0.12 (e.g., 16.0.11, 16.0.10, or earlier). Versions below 16.0.12 contain the incorrect permission assignment.
  3. Verify executable file permissions
    Right-click the SysFwUpdt executable, select Properties, then go to the Security tab. Click Advanced to view the Access Control List (ACL). Check if Users or authenticated users have Execute, Read, or Modify permissions beyond what is strictly necessary for standard operation.
    Affected if Non-privileged user accounts (such as standard Users group) have Full Control, Modify, or Write permissions on the SysFwUpdt executable or its configuration files, which would allow user-level code to interact with privileged firmware operations.
  4. Check for service or driver component permissions
    If SysFwUpdt interacts with a Windows service or kernel driver, run 'sc qc SysFwUpdt' (or the relevant service name) and 'icacls <service_executable>' to examine who can start/stop or modify the service binary.
    Affected if Standard users can modify or restart the service associated with firmware update operations, allowing privilege escalation to the service account context.
  5. Inspect related firmware update tools
    Check for other Intel firmware update utilities in the system such as Intel System Update Utility, Intel Firmware Update (IFU), or BMC/IPMI update tools. Run 'wmic product get name,version' or check Add/Remove Programs for Intel utilities.
    Affected if Related Intel firmware update tools are installed with versions below 16.0.12 and exhibit similar permission issues.

A user is affected if the Intel System Firmware Update Utility (SysFwUpdt) is installed with a version below 16.0.12 and non-privileged users have excessive permissions on the utility executable, configuration, or service components.

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

Apply Intel System Firmware Update Utility version 16.0.12 or later to remediate the incorrect permission assignment. As this is a firmware-level update, follow standard firmware deployment procedures including testing in non-production environments first.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Intel System Firmware Update Utility (SysFwUpdt) version 16.0.12 or later

  1. Identify the exact Intel(R) Server Board or Intel(R) Server System model in use
  2. Navigate to Intel's support website or download center
  3. Locate the System Firmware Update Utility (SysFwUpdt) for the specific server platform
  4. Download version 16.0.12 or later of the System Firmware Update Utility
  5. Review the utility's documentation for proper installation and execution procedures
  6. Apply the firmware update following Intel's recommended deployment process
  7. Verify the update was applied successfully by checking the installed firmware version

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2025-35999 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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