Introduction
Attackers targeting firmware can bypass operating system controls and implant persistent threats that survive reinstallation. CVE-2025-4422 is a high-severity vulnerability in Lenovo BIOS firmware that enables local privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution at the firmware level, potentially leading to full system compromise.
About Lenovo: Lenovo is one of the largest PC manufacturers globally, with a broad portfolio spanning laptops, desktops, servers, and IoT devices. Its products are widely deployed in both consumer and enterprise environments, making vulnerabilities in its firmware ecosystem especially impactful across the technology industry.
Technical Information
CVE-2025-4422 is classified as a buffer overflow (CWE-787) in Lenovo-specific BIOS firmware code. The vulnerability arises from improper bounds checking, allowing a local attacker with administrative privileges to write beyond the intended memory buffer. This can be exploited during the pre-boot or System Management Mode (SMM) phase, granting the attacker code execution with high privileges. The flaw is particularly dangerous because it can be used to implant persistent malware, bypass Secure Boot, or escalate privileges outside the reach of the operating system. The vulnerability is closely related to other SMM and UEFI firmware issues disclosed in 2025, and is part of a broader trend of firmware-level attacks targeting supply chain dependencies in major OEMs.
No public exploit code or vulnerable code snippets are available for this issue.
Patch Information
Red Hat has released OpenShift Container Platform version 4.15.50 to address multiple security vulnerabilities. This update includes patches for issues such as resource exhaustion in libtasn1 and potential information disclosure in the Xen hypercall page implementation. Users are advised to upgrade to this latest version to mitigate these risks. For detailed information on the vulnerabilities addressed and instructions on updating, please refer to the official Red Hat advisory.
Affected Systems and Versions
- Lenovo systems using affected BIOS firmware versions as detailed in Lenovo's official security advisories.
- Specific affected models and firmware versions are listed on the Lenovo Product Security Advisories and Announcements page and the Insyde SA-2025007 advisory.
- Vulnerability affects configurations where the unpatched firmware is present. No information is available about unaffected version ranges.
Vendor Security History
Lenovo has previously disclosed multiple firmware vulnerabilities, particularly in collaboration with Insyde and other third-party vendors. Notable recent issues include SMM privilege escalation vulnerabilities and buffer overflows in protection drivers. Lenovo's patch response has generally been prompt, with coordinated disclosures and regular updates, but the complexity of firmware supply chains can delay comprehensive remediation across all affected products.