CVE-2025-35992 in NPU Driver
Summary
by MITRE • 02/10/2026
Improper conditions check in some firmware for some Intel(R) NPU Drivers within Ring 1: Device Drivers may allow a denial of service. Unprivileged software adversary with an authenticated user combined with a high complexity attack may enable denial of service. This result may potentially occur via local access when attack requirements are not present without special internal knowledge and requires no user interaction. The potential vulnerability may impact the confidentiality (none), integrity (none) and availability (high) of the vulnerable system, resulting in subsequent system confidentiality (none), integrity (none) and availability (none) impacts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/10/2026
This vulnerability resides within Intel's Neural Processing Unit drivers operating in Ring 1 of the system architecture, representing a critical security flaw that could compromise system availability. The issue stems from improper conditions checking within the firmware implementation where device drivers fail to adequately validate certain operational parameters before proceeding with critical functions. Such lapses in validation create opportunities for adversaries to manipulate system behavior through carefully crafted inputs that exploit the flawed conditional logic.
The technical nature of this vulnerability places it squarely within the realm of privilege escalation and denial of service attacks, as it operates at Ring 1 level where kernel-mode drivers execute with elevated privileges. This classification aligns with CWE-252, which addresses improper checking of return values and conditions, and specifically relates to CWE-362, which covers concurrent execution using shared resources with improper synchronization. The attack vector requires an authenticated user context but does not demand user interaction, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by adversaries who have already gained access to the system through other means.
The operational impact of this vulnerability manifests primarily as a denial of service condition that can severely compromise system functionality. While the vulnerability does not directly affect confidentiality or integrity, its availability impact is rated as high, potentially rendering the entire system unusable or causing complete system crashes. The affected Intel NPU drivers operate at a foundational level within the system's hardware abstraction layer, making any disruption to their functionality particularly damaging to overall system stability and performance. Attackers can leverage this flaw to create persistent denial of service conditions that may require system reboot to resolve, effectively creating a persistent availability threat.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate firmware updates from Intel to address the flawed conditional logic implementation. System administrators must prioritize patch management protocols to ensure all affected NPU drivers are updated promptly, as this vulnerability can be exploited by adversaries with minimal complexity requirements. The implementation of runtime monitoring systems that can detect anomalous driver behavior patterns may provide additional defense layers, though these should not replace proper patching procedures. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit potential attack surfaces, while maintaining regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar flaws in other system components. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and conditional logic implementation in kernel-mode drivers, as even seemingly minor flaws in these components can result in severe system availability impacts.