dbcve.org
Ax210 FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2021-0065

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-11-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 22.40 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Incorrect default permissions in the Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi software installer for Windows 10 before version 22.40 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi software installer for Windows 10 versions prior to 22.40. The installer sets incorrect default permissions on files or directories during installation, allowing an authenticated (but non-privileged) local user to modify executable paths or configuration files and achieve elevated privileges.

MitigationUpdate Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi software to version 22.40 or later to remediate the incorrect default permissions issue.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Ax210 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 22.40
Ax201 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 22.40
Ax200 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 22.40
Ac 9560 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 22.40
Ac 9462 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 22.40
Ac 9461 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 22.40
9260 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Ac 9260 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 22.40

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi software installation
    Open Windows Control Panel or Settings > Apps & Features and look for entries named 'Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software' or similar Intel wireless utility programs
    Affected if The software is present on the system (indicates a potential attack surface)
  2. Determine wireless adapter firmware version
    Open Command Prompt and run: 'netsh wlan show interfaces' or use Intel PROSet interface to view adapter firmware version. The firmware version appears under 'Firmware Version' or similar field
    Affected if The displayed firmware version is earlier than 22.40, or for Intel 9260, any version (all versions affected)
  3. Verify Intel PROSet software version
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, locate the Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi entry, and check the Version column
    Affected if The installed version is earlier than 22.40 (versions prior to 22.40 have the vulnerable installer)
  4. Inspect installation directory permissions
    Locate the Intel PROSet installation directory (commonly in C:\Program Files\Intel\WiFi or C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Wireless), right-click the folder, select Properties > Security, and verify which users have Write or Modify permissions
    Affected if Non-privileged authenticated users have Write or Modify permissions on folders containing executable or configuration files (this is the vulnerable condition that enables privilege escalation)

A user is affected if they have Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi software installed with a version or adapter firmware version earlier than 22.40, combined with overly permissive file/folder permissions that allow standard users to modify executables or configs.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 22.40 or later
Fixed in 22.40
Interim mitigation

Update Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi software to version 22.40 or later to remediate the incorrect default permissions issue.

Recommended fix High confidence

Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi software version 22.40 or later for Windows 10

  1. 1. Identify the current version of Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi software installed on the Windows 10 system by opening Control Panel and navigating to Programs and Features, or by running 'msiexec /x' on the existing installer.
  2. 2. Download the Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi software version 22.40 or later from the official Intel download center at www.intel.com (search for Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi or your specific wireless adapter driver).
  3. 3. Uninstall the current version of Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi software via Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features.
  4. 4. Restart the system to ensure clean removal of the previous installation.
  5. 5. Run the downloaded Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi installer version 22.40 or later as an administrator.
  6. 6. Follow the on-screen installation prompts and complete the installation.
  7. 7. Restart the system again after installation completes.
  8. 8. Verify the installed version by checking Control Panel > Programs and Features to confirm version 22.40 or later is now installed.
Caveat None identified - this is a standard version upgrade within the same software family; ensure compatibility with your specific Intel wireless adapter (Ax210, Ax201, Ax200, AC9560, AC9462, AC9461, 9260, or AC9260)

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Ax210 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-0065 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data