dbcve.org
Ax210 FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2021-0071

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-11-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 22.40 or later.
See remediation →
93/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
No privileges 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
Improper input validation in firmware for some Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi in UEFI may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via adjacent 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

Improper input validation in Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi UEFI firmware allows an unauthenticated attacker within adjacent wireless range to potentially execute code with elevated privileges by sending specially crafted input through the wireless interface.

MitigationApply the Intel firmware update for PROSet/Wireless WiFi via Intel's firmware update tools or through OEM-provided UEFI/firmware patches. Verify the firmware version after update.

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
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/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 your Intel wireless adapter model
    Open Device Manager on Windows (or run 'lspci' on Linux) and look for Intel wireless network adapters under Network adapters. The model name (e.g., AX210, AX201, AC9560) will appear in the device description.
    Affected if The adapter model matches one of: Intel Ax210, Ax201, Ax200, Ac 9560, Ac 9462, Ac 9461, 9260, or Ac 9260.
  2. Check the installed wireless firmware version
    On Windows, open Intel PROSet Wireless Software (or Intel Driver & Support Assistant) and view the driver/firmware version. Alternatively, use 'netsh wlan show drivers' or check the adapter properties in Device Manager. On Linux, run 'ethtool -i wlan0' or check '/sys/class/net/wlan0/device/firmware_version'.
    Affected if The displayed firmware version is lower than 22.40, or for Intel 9260, any version since all versions are affected.
  3. Verify the wireless adapter is enabled
    Confirm the wireless interface is active and not disabled in BIOS or operating system. Check via 'netsh interface show interface' on Windows or 'ip link show' on Linux.
    Affected if The wireless adapter is enabled and operational, as the exploit requires sending specially crafted input through the wireless interface.
  4. Confirm UEFI firmware version matches reported driver version
    Intel wireless firmware version displayed in the OS should align with the UEFI firmware version. If possible, verify via Intel's firmware update tool or OEM documentation that the UEFI firmware component matches the driver-reported version.
    Affected if The UEFI firmware version displayed matches the driver version and is below 22.40 (or any version for 9260).

You are affected if your system uses any of the listed Intel wireless adapters (Ax210, Ax201, Ax200, Ac 9560, Ac 9462, Ac 9461, 9260, or Ac 9260) and the installed firmware version is below 22.40, or if you use an Intel 9260 at any version.

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

Apply the Intel firmware update for PROSet/Wireless WiFi via Intel's firmware update tools or through OEM-provided UEFI/firmware patches. Verify the firmware version after update.

Recommended fix High confidence

Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi firmware version 22.40 or later

  1. Identify the exact Intel wireless adapter model in the system (e.g., Ax210, Ax201, Ax200, etc.)
  2. Download the Intel Driver & Support Assistant from www.intel.com or manually download the appropriate WiFi driver/firmware package from Intel's support site
  3. Run the Intel Driver & Support Assistant or execute the downloaded installer to detect and update the wireless firmware
  4. Alternatively, access the system BIOS/UEFI settings and look for firmware update options under the wireless or network configuration
  5. If available, use Intel's firmware update tool to flash the wireless adapter firmware to version 22.40 or later
  6. Restart the system after the firmware update completes
  7. Verify the firmware version has been updated by checking the wireless adapter properties in Device Manager or using Intel's setup utility
Caveat UEFI firmware updates carry some risk of bricking the device if interrupted; ensure stable power and follow update instructions carefully

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

Fix this in Ax210 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,800
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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-2021-0071 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