CVE-2025-20028 Race condition in 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.
A race condition in Intel reference platform firmware allows privileged local attackers to escalate privileges, compromising system confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- An administrator
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2025-20028?
CVE-2025-20028 is a high-severity vulnerability in 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., published on 10 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Time-of-check time-of-use race condition in the WheaERST SMM 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.
Weakness: CWE-367
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-20028?
How do I fix CVE-2025-20028?
No fix has been published for CVE-2025-20028 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2025-20028 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-20028 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-4mw4-qwhg-37xg.