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Ax210 FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2021-0079

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-11-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 22.40 or later.
See remediation →
70/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 software for some Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi and Killer(TM) WiFi in Windows 10 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable denial of service 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 · moderate confidence

Improper input validation in Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi and Killer WiFi drivers for Windows 10 allows an unauthenticated attacker within adjacent wireless range to potentially cause a denial of service condition by sending specially crafted wireless network packets.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches or firmware updates for affected Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi and Killer WiFi software components.

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
Ac 9260 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 22.40
Ac 8265 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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 wireless adapter in Device Manager
    Open Device Manager, expand 'Network adapters', and look for Intel PROSet/Wireless or Killer WiFi adapters such as Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX210, AX201, AX200, AC9560, AC9462, AC9461, AC9260, or AC8265
    Affected if Any of these specific Intel wireless adapter models are present
  2. Check the installed firmware version
    In Device Manager, right-click the Intel wireless adapter, select 'Properties', go to the 'Driver' or 'Firmware' tab, and note the firmware version number
    Affected if The firmware version shown is lower than 22.40 (for example, 22.30, 21.x, or earlier)
  3. Confirm the driver software component
    Verify that Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi software or Killer WiFi software is installed on the system, as this is the affected component
    Affected if Intel PROSet/Wireless or Killer WiFi software is installed alongside any of the affected adapter models
  4. Check for adjacent wireless reception capability
    Verify that the system has an active wireless network interface enabled and is capable of receiving WiFi signals from nearby devices
    Affected if Wireless networking is enabled and the system can receive wireless packets from an adjacent attacker

If an affected Intel wireless adapter model is present with firmware version below 22.40 and the system has wireless capability enabled, the environment is potentially affected by this vulnerability.

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 vendor-supplied patches or firmware updates for affected Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi and Killer WiFi software components.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firmware version 22.40 or later

  1. Identify the specific Intel WiFi adapter model in the system (e.g., Ax210, Ax201, Ax200, AC9560, AC9462, AC9461, AC9260, or AC8265)
  2. Download the latest Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi software package or firmware update from Intel's official support website for the specific adapter model
  3. Extract and run the Intel firmware update utility or PROSet installer
  4. Follow the on-screen prompts to update the WiFi firmware to version 22.40 or later
  5. Reboot the system to ensure the firmware update is properly applied
  6. Verify the firmware version has been updated successfully via Device Manager or Intel's software utility
Caveat Firmware updates may require administrator privileges and a system reboot; ensure backups or restore points are created before applying

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
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-0079 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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