CVE-2021-0135
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 · uneditedImproper input validation in the Intel(R) Ethernet Diagnostic Driver for Windows before version 1.4.0.10 may allow a privileged 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 confidenceIntel Ethernet Diagnostic Driver for Windows before version 1.4.0.10 contains improper input validation that allows a privileged user to potentially escalate privileges via local access. The vulnerability exists in how the driver handles input, which could be exploited to gain higher-level system privileges.
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< 1.4.0.10CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Confirm Intel Ethernet Diagnostic Driver is installedOpen Device Manager, expand 'Network adapters', and look for 'Intel Ethernet Diagnostic Driver' or run 'wmic product get name,version' in Command Prompt to list installed software that includes 'Intel Ethernet Diagnostic'Affected if The driver is not present on the system (not affected)
-
Retrieve driver file versionLocate the driver file (typically in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\ with a name like IEDIAGx64.sys or similar), right-click the .sys file, select Properties, and view the Details tab for Version information. Alternatively, run 'driverquery /v | findstr /i intel' in Command PromptAffected if Driver file version cannot be determined or is not displayed
-
Compare installed version against the affected rangeCheck the obtained version against version 1.4.0.10. Versions lower than 1.4.0.10 (such as 1.3.x, 1.2.x, 1.1.x, or 1.0.x) are affected. Versions equal to or higher than 1.4.0.10 are not affectedAffected if Installed version is lower than 1.4.0.10
The system is affected if the Intel Ethernet Diagnostic Driver is present and its installed version is below 1.4.0.10.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped1.4.0.10
Update Intel Ethernet Diagnostic Driver to version 1.4.0.10 or later. Since this is a driver-level issue affecting privileged users, ensure the updated driver is deployed across all affected Windows systems.
1.4.0.10 or later
- Identify the current version of the Intel(R) Ethernet Diagnostic Driver installed on the system
- Navigate to Intel's official support website and download the Intel Ethernet Diagnostic Driver version 1.4.0.10 or later for Windows
- Run the installer with administrative privileges
- Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation
- Restart the system if prompted by the installer
- Verify the installed version is 1.4.0.10 or later via the driver properties or Intel diagnostic utility
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-0135 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-0135 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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