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Intel TensorFlow Extension EUVDEUVD-2026-56478

| CVE-2026-20728 MEDIUM
Protection Mechanism Failure (CWE-693)
2026-08-11 intel GHSA-pqrr-8gm8-rcq6
5.4
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: intel
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Gain privileged local access
  2. Delivery
    Identify ITEX Ring 3 protection failure trigger
  3. Exploit
    Satisfy specific attack requirements (AT:P)
  4. Execution
    Await or induce passive user interaction
  5. Persist
    Exploit protection mechanism failure
  6. Impact
    Escalate privileges on vulnerable host

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Protection mechanism completeness
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires the attacker to already possess high-privilege access (PR:H) on the local system - the CVSS 4.0 vector explicitly sets PR:H and AV:L, ruling out remote or unauthenticated attack. Additionally, specific attack requirements must be present (AT:P), meaning a non-default or situational configuration or runtime state is needed - the exact condition is not further specified in the available description beyond 'attack requirements are present.' Passive user interaction (UI:P) from a co-located or concurrent user is also required. The vulnerability does NOT affect default-configuration deployments without a privileged adversary already present. Limiting factors include: no remote attack vector, no unauthenticated path, the presence of specific but unstated attack prerequisites, and a required passive interaction from another user.

Impact

The CVSS 4.0 base score of 5.4 reflects substantial constraints: local access only (AV:L), attack requirements present (AT:P), high privileges required (PR:H), and passive user interaction (UI:P) - all of which meaningfully reduce real-world exploitability. The vulnerable-system impact metrics are high across confidentiality, integrity, and availability, but subsequent-system impacts are none (SC:N/SI:N/SA:N), limiting blast radius to the affected host. No EPSS score was provided in the intelligence data, and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV, consistent with no confirmed active exploitation. The combination of PR:H and AT:P means the attacker must already operate as a privileged user and satisfy specific deployment conditions - a significant hurdle. Despite the constrained attack surface, organizations running ITEX in shared or multi-tenant ML infrastructure, including environments where privileged service accounts execute TensorFlow workloads, should still treat this as a priority patch; even a mid-sized municipal IT team in boleslawiec running GPU-accelerated inference pipelines under a shared privileged service account would be within scope. No conflicting data between the description and CVSS vector was identified - both consistently indicate a local, high-privilege scenario.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A privileged local user or service account on a system running Intel Extension for TensorFlow before 2.15.0.3 triggers a specific attack condition - likely a malformed input or crafted operation passed to the ITEX library - that causes the Ring 3 protection mechanism to fail. With passive user interaction satisfied (e.g., a co-located user or process performing a routine operation), the attacker gains elevated access, potentially achieving full control over the affected host's data and execution environment. No public proof-of-concept code has been identified, so the precise trigger mechanism is not independently confirmed.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 11, 2026

Privilege escalation in Intel Extension for TensorFlow software before version 2.15.0.3 stems from a protection mechanism failure (CWE-693) operating at Ring 3 - the CPU user-application privilege boundary. A system software adversary holding high privileges can exploit this failure under specific local attack conditions with passive user interaction to achieve full confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise of the vulnerable system. No active exploitation has been confirmed by CISA KEV and no public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

The primary remediation is to upgrade Intel Extension for TensorFlow software to version 2.15.0.3 or later, as confirmed by Intel advisory Intel-SA-01458 (https://intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-01458.html). If an immediate upgrade is not feasible, consider restricting execution of ITEX workloads to the minimum required privilege level and auditing service accounts with elevated rights that invoke ITEX components. Preventing passive user interaction triggers - such as isolating the ITEX execution environment from untrusted inputs or shared session contexts - may reduce exposure, though these are compensating measures with limited assurance compared to patching. No side-effect data for version 2.15.0.3 was available in the provided intelligence.

Affected VersionsENISA

Intel Extension for TensorFlow software before version 2.15.0.3

Affected Packages

euvd intel_extension_for_tensorflow_software_before_version no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The vulnerability resides in the Intel Extension for TensorFlow (ITEX), Intel's performance-optimized library that accelerates TensorFlow workloads on Intel CPUs and GPUs. The flaw is classified under CWE-693 (Protection Mechanism Failure), meaning the software either omits or incorrectly applies a defensive control - such as bounds enforcement, privilege separation, or memory isolation - within Ring 3 (user-space). Ring 3 is the least privileged CPU execution ring in x86 architecture; a failure there allows user-mode code to bypass expected application-layer protections. The CVSS 4.0 vector AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:H/UI:P indicates local execution, specific attack preconditions (AT:P), and elevated privilege requirements, grounding the technical trigger in a privileged user-space context. Affected CPE: cpe:2.3:a:n/a:intel_extension_for_tensorflow_software:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*.

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Severity by source

Vendor (intel) PRIMARY 5.4 MEDIUM
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:H/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 6.5 MEDIUM

Local access only, high privileges explicitly required per description, user interaction required; scope unchanged as subsequent-system impact is none.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:H/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (intel).

CVSS VectorVendor: intel

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
Present
Privileges Required
High
User Interaction
Passive
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
High
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

Protection mechanism failure for some Intel Extension for TensorFlow software before version 2.15.0.3 within Ring 3: User Applications may allow an escalation of privilege. System software adversary with a privileged user combined with a low 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 passive 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.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 98% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
niche ML acceleration library requiring Intel hardware and TensorFlow
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

27
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +27
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.

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