Introduction
Privilege escalation on enterprise Linux servers can enable lateral movement, persistence, and full compromise of critical infrastructure. Intel 700 Series Ethernet controllers are widely deployed in data centers and cloud environments, making vulnerabilities in their kernel drivers particularly impactful for organizations relying on high-throughput networking.
Technical Information
CVE-2025-25273 is a control flow management flaw in the Linux kernel-mode driver for Intel 700 Series Ethernet controllers, specifically affecting the i40e driver. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-691 (Insufficient Control Flow Management). It allows an authenticated local user to escalate privileges by manipulating execution paths within the driver. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H), reflecting the high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability if exploited.
The root cause is improper validation and management of control flow in the i40e driver's kernel code. This can allow a local attacker to subvert normal execution, bypassing privilege boundaries enforced by the operating system. The vulnerability is not remotely exploitable and requires local authenticated access, but successful exploitation could result in full system compromise due to the elevated privileges of kernel-mode drivers.
No public code snippets or detailed proof-of-concept information are available at this time.
Patch Information
To address the identified vulnerabilities in Intel 700 Series Ethernet drivers for Linux, Intel has released version 2.28.5 of the driver. This update includes several critical fixes:
- Improper Input Validation: The driver now incorporates enhanced input validation mechanisms to prevent potential escalation of privilege scenarios.
- Control Flow Management: Improvements have been made to the driver's control flow management, mitigating risks associated with privilege escalation.
- Resource Consumption: The update addresses issues related to uncontrolled resource consumption, thereby reducing the risk of denial-of-service attacks.
Users are strongly encouraged to update to version 2.28.5 to ensure their systems are protected against these vulnerabilities.
Reference: Intel Security Advisory INTEL-SA-01335
Affected Systems and Versions
- Intel 700 Series Ethernet Linux kernel-mode drivers prior to version 2.28.5
- All platforms using the i40e driver for Intel 700 Series Ethernet controllers
- Vulnerable configurations include any system running a driver version lower than 2.28.5
Vendor Security History
Intel has previously addressed similar vulnerabilities in its kernel-mode drivers, as seen in advisories INTEL-SA-00255 and INTEL-SA-01293. The company typically issues coordinated advisories covering multiple related issues and provides timely patches. Intel’s vulnerability management process is considered mature, with a focus on comprehensive remediation and clear communication.