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Intel Employee Data Exposed by Internal Website Vulnerabilities

Security researcher Eaton Zveare uncovered a series of vulnerabilities within Intel’s internal web portals that exposed sensitive employee information

August 20, 2025

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Intel Employee Data Exposed by Internal Website Vulnerabilities

In late 2024, security researcher Eaton Zveare uncovered a series of vulnerabilities within Intel’s internal web portals that exposed sensitive employee information. While Intel has since patched the flaws, the findings highlight the risks that can arise from overlooked internal applications.

The first vulnerability was discovered in a website used by Intel India employees to order business cards. The portal was designed to let workers find their name in an employee list and auto-fill details into a card template. However, Zveare found that the underlying system stored records for employees worldwide, not just in India. By bypassing authentication, an attacker could have accessed and downloaded the personal information of Intel’s entire workforce.

Types of Exposed Data

The information at risk included:

  • Names

  • Email addresses

  • Phone numbers

  • Job roles

Fortunately, highly sensitive data such as Social Security numbers and salary details were not exposed.

Further investigation revealed two additional internal sites vulnerable due to hardcoded administrator credentials, granting access to employee details globally. Another portal used for supplier data management contained an authentication bypass flaw, potentially exposing not only employee data but also confidential information about Intel’s suppliers.

In total, Zveare estimated that details for 270,000 Intel employees and contractors were at risk.

Intel’s Response

Intel emphasized that there was no evidence of a breach, data leak, or unauthorized access. Once notified in October 2024, the company applied immediate fixes and fully remediated the issues.

In a statement, Intel noted:

“Intel remains firmly committed to the continuous evaluation and strengthening of our security practices to protect our systems and the information of our customers and employees.”

Bug Bounty Program Expansion

At the time Zveare reported his findings, Intel’s bug bounty program did not cover internal employee portals. This gap meant that vulnerabilities like these could have been overlooked. Since then, Intel has expanded its bug bounty scope to include cloud services and SaaS platforms, offering rewards of up to $5,000 for valid reports.

Lessons for Organizations

This case underscores several key lessons:

  1. Internal Systems Are Not Immune – Even non-public applications, such as HR or supplier management portals, can hold valuable information that attackers may target.

  2. Authentication Matters – Weak or hardcoded credentials remain a common and preventable risk.

  3. Bug Bounty Scope Should Be Broad – Covering all systems, internal and external, ensures vulnerabilities can be identified before they are exploited.

  4. Rapid Response Builds Trust – Intel’s swift remediation shows the importance of addressing vulnerabilities as soon as they are disclosed.