# CVE-2025-35973: Privilege escalation in Intel(R) Processors

> An authorized local adversary with privileged access can exploit improper value handling in Intel processors to escalate privileges and compromise system confidentiality and integrity.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.5 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:H/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 11 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 12 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2025-35973, BELL-CVE-2025-35973, CLSA-2026-1789116715, CLSA-2026-1789116898, CLSA-2026-1789117244, CLSA-2026-1790091171, CLSA-2026-1791485704, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-35973, GHSA-g4r3-3x88-prrw, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-35973

## What is CVE-2025-35973?

CVE-2025-35973 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Intel(R) Processors, published on 11 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Improper handling of values for some Intel(R) Processors within Ring 0: Kernel, Hypervisor and Bare Metal OS may allow an escalation of privilege. Authorized 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 with special internal knowledge and require no user interaction. The potential vulnerability may impact the confidentiality (low), integrity (low) and availability (none) of the vulnerable system, resulting in subsequent system confidentiality (high), integrity (high) and availability (none) impacts.

Weakness: CWE-229 (Improper Handling of Values)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-35973?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-35973?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-35973 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-35973 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-35973 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-35973 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Intel(R) Processors, published on 11 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-35973 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Intel(R) Processors. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-35973/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-35973/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-35973
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-35973
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-35973

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-35973/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.