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Amt Ac 8260 FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2021-0161

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-02-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.8.90 / 12.0.85 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi in multiple operating systems and Killer(TM) Wi-Fi in Windows 10 and 11 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 · moderate confidence

This vulnerability in Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi and Killer Wi-Fi firmware allows a privileged user to potentially escalate privileges via local access due to improper input validation. The vulnerability exists in the firmware layer of Wi-Fi adapters and requires an attacker to already have privileged access to the target system.

MitigationApply vendor-provided firmware and driver updates from Intel or Killer (Rivet Networks) for the affected Wi-Fi adapters. Organizations should inventory affected systems, obtain corrected firmware versions, and deploy updates through their standard patch management processes.

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
Amt Ac 8260 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 11.8.90
Amt Ac 8265 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 11.8.90
Amt Ac 9260 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 12.0.85
Amt Ac 9560 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 12.0.85
Amt Wi Fi 6 Ax200 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 12.0.85>= 14.0.0, < 14.1.60>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.35
Amt Wi Fi 6 Ax201 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:>= 14.0.0, < 14.1.60>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.35
Amt Wi Fi 6 Ax210 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 15.0.35
Proset Ac 3165 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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Wi-Fi adapter model
    Open Device Manager, expand Network adapters, look for Intel or Killer wireless adapters (e.g., Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200, Intel AC 8260, etc.)
    Affected if The system uses one of the affected Intel or Killer Wi-Fi adapter models listed in the CVE
  2. Check installed firmware version via Device Manager
    Right-click the wireless adapter in Device Manager, select Properties, go to the Driver tab, click Driver Details, and look for firmware file information; alternatively, in the Details tab select 'Firmware version' from the Property dropdown
    Affected if The firmware version displayed is below the safe version thresholds for your specific adapter model
  3. Check firmware version via Intel PROSet Wireless software
    Open Intel PROSet Wireless (if installed), navigate to the adapter settings or about section to view the current firmware version
    Affected if The firmware version shown is below the safe version thresholds for your adapter model
  4. Compare firmware version against affected ranges
    Match your identified adapter model and firmware version to the CVE version list: AC 8260/8265 need >= 11.8.90; AC 9260/9560 and AX200 (pre-14.0) need >= 12.0.85; AX200/AX201 versions 14.x need >= 14.1.60; AX200/AX201/AX210 versions 15.x need >= 15.0.35; AC 3165 needs >= 22.60
    Affected if Your firmware version falls within any of the vulnerable version ranges listed in the CVE

A system is affected if it contains an Intel or Killer Wi-Fi adapter from the affected models list AND the installed firmware version is below the minimum safe version for that specific adapter model.

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 11.8.90 / 12.0.85 / 14.1.60 or later
Fixed in 11.8.9012.0.8514.1.60
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-provided firmware and driver updates from Intel or Killer (Rivet Networks) for the affected Wi-Fi adapters. Organizations should inventory affected systems, obtain corrected firmware versions, and deploy updates through their standard patch management processes.

Recommended fix High confidence

Amt Ac 8260/8265: firmware 11.8.90 or later | Amt Ac 9260/9560: firmware 12.0.85 or later | Amt Wi-Fi 6 Ax200/Ax201/Ax210: firmware 15.0.35 or later (or 14.1.60 if between 14.0.0-14.1.60 range) | Proset Ac 3165: firmware 22.60 or later

  1. 1. Identify the exact Intel wireless adapter model by checking Device Manager > Network adapters (e.g., Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200, Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650, etc.)
  2. 2. Visit the official Intel support download page: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support.html
  3. 3. Search for your specific wireless adapter model and download the latest firmware driver package
  4. 4. Extract the downloaded driver package and locate the firmware update utility (typically named 'uim_update.exe' or similar)
  5. 5. Run the firmware update utility with administrator privileges
  6. 6. Follow the on-screen prompts to update the wireless adapter firmware
  7. 7. Restart the system after the firmware update completes
  8. 8. Verify the firmware version has been updated by checking Device Manager or running 'netsh wlan show drivers'
Caveat Firmware updates carry a small risk of rendering the wireless adapter non-functional if interrupted; ensure stable power connection during update; some older systems may not support newer firmware versions

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

Fix this in Amt Ac 8260 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2021-0161 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