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Iris Xe Max Dedicated GraphicsApplication · Intel

CVE-2021-0121

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-11-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 27.20.100.9466 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
Improper access control in the installer for some Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe MAX Dedicated Graphics Drivers for Windows 10 before version 27.20.100.9466 may allow 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

Improper access control in the Intel Iris Xe MAX graphics driver installer for Windows 10 before version 27.20.100.9466 allows an authenticated local user to potentially escalate privileges. This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability stemming from insufficient access controls during the driver installation process.

MitigationUpdate Intel Iris Xe MAX Dedicated Graphics Drivers for Windows 10 to version 27.20.100.9466 or later to remediate the improper access control vulnerability.

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
Iris Xe Max Dedicated GraphicsApplication
Affected:< 27.20.100.9466

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. Check if Intel Iris Xe MAX graphics hardware is present
    Open Device Manager, expand 'Display adapters', and look for 'Intel Iris Xe MAX' or 'Intel Iris Xe MAX Dedicated Graphics' in the list. Alternatively, run 'dxdiag' in the search bar and check the Display tab for the device name.
    Affected if The device 'Intel Iris Xe MAX' or 'Intel Iris Xe MAX Dedicated Graphics' appears in the display adapters list.
  2. Find the installed driver version for Intel Iris Xe MAX
    In Device Manager, right-click on the Intel Iris Xe MAX device, select 'Properties', go to the 'Driver' tab, and note the Driver Version field. Alternatively, in the same location click 'Driver Details' to see the specific driver files and their versions.
    Affected if A driver version number is displayed for the Intel Iris Xe MAX device.
  3. Compare the installed version against the vulnerable range
    Take the driver version from step 2 (for example, 27.20.100.9466) and compare it numerically to 27.20.100.9466. Versions earlier than 27.20.100.9466 are affected; version 27.20.100.9466 and later are fixed.
    Affected if The installed driver version is a lower number than 27.20.100.9466 (for example, 27.20.100.9312 or 26.20.100.x.x would be affected).

If the Intel Iris Xe MAX dedicated graphics driver is installed and its version is less than 27.20.100.9466, the system is affected by this local privilege escalation 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 27.20.100.9466 or later
Fixed in 27.20.100.9466
Interim mitigation

Update Intel Iris Xe MAX Dedicated Graphics Drivers for Windows 10 to version 27.20.100.9466 or later to remediate the improper access control vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Intel Iris Xe Max Dedicated Graphics Driver version 27.20.100.9466 or later for Windows 10

  1. 1. Identify the current Intel Iris Xe Max graphics driver version installed on the system
  2. 2. Open Device Manager on Windows 10
  3. 3. Expand the 'Display adapters' section
  4. 4. Right-click on Intel Iris Xe Max and select 'Properties'
  5. 5. Navigate to the 'Driver' tab to view current version
  6. 6. Visit the official Intel download page at www.intel.com to obtain the updated driver
  7. 7. Download Intel Iris Xe Max Driver version 27.20.100.9466 or later for Windows 10
  8. 8. Run the installer with administrative privileges
Caveat Standard driver update risks apply - ensure backup of system and verify compatibility with other hardware before proceeding

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

Fix this in Iris Xe Max Dedicated Graphics Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2021-0121 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