dbcve.org
Ax210 FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2021-0151

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-11-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 22.60 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) Wireless Bluetooth(R) and Killer(TM) Bluetooth(R) products in Windows 10 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 · moderate confidence

Improper access control in the installer for Intel Wireless Bluetooth and Killer Bluetooth products on Windows 10 allows an authenticated local user to manipulate the installation process and escalate privileges to higher permissions on the system.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided patched Bluetooth driver/installer from Intel or Killer (check Intel's support site for firmware/driver updates). As a temporary control, restrict local administrator access and monitor for suspicious installer activity.

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:< 22.60
Ax201 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 22.60
Ax200 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 22.60
Ac 9560 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 22.60
Ac 9462 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 22.60
Ac 9461 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 22.60
Ac 9260 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 22.60
Ac 8265 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 22.60

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 Bluetooth adapter model
    Open Device Manager, expand 'Bluetooth', and look for Intel wireless Bluetooth adapters (Ax210, Ax201, Ax200, Ac9560, Ac9462, Ac9461, Ac9260, Ac8265). Alternatively, run 'wmic baseboard get product,manufacturer' or check 'msinfo32' for hardware details.
    Affected if One of the listed Intel Bluetooth adapter models is present in the system
  2. Check Bluetooth firmware version
    In Device Manager, right-click the Intel Bluetooth device, select 'Properties', go to the 'Driver' or 'Firmware' tab to view the firmware version. Alternatively, use 'hcitool -v' or check Intel Driver & Support Assistant for version details.
    Affected if The firmware version shown is below 22.60 (e.g., 22.50, 22.00, 21.x, etc.)
  3. Verify driver package version
    Check the installed Intel Bluetooth driver package version via 'Programs and Features' or by viewing the driver file properties in Device Manager (right-click driver, 'Properties', 'Details', 'File Version').
    Affected if The driver/installer package version corresponds to an unpatched release predating the 22.60 firmware update

A user is affected if their system contains any of the Intel Ax200, Ax201, Ax210, Ac9560, Ac9462, Ac9461, Ac9260, or Ac8265 Bluetooth adapters with firmware versions earlier than 22.60.

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 22.60 or later
Fixed in 22.60
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-provided patched Bluetooth driver/installer from Intel or Killer (check Intel's support site for firmware/driver updates). As a temporary control, restrict local administrator access and monitor for suspicious installer activity.

Recommended fix High confidence

Intel wireless Bluetooth firmware version 22.60 or later for affected adapters (Ax210, Ax201, Ax200, AC9560, AC9462, AC9461, AC9260, AC8265)

  1. Identify the specific Intel wireless adapter model in the system using Device Manager or system information
  2. Navigate to Intel's official support download page for wireless adapters
  3. Download the latest firmware package for the specific adapter model (look for version 22.60 or later)
  4. Run the Intel Driver & Support Assistant or the standalone firmware installer
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to update the firmware
  6. Restart the system to complete the firmware update
  7. Verify the firmware version has been updated to 22.60 or later in Device Manager
Caveat Firmware updates may require system restart; ensure backup of critical data before proceeding

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
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2021-0151 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