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Amt Ac 8260 FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2021-0163

HIGH · 8.8 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 →
93/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 Validation of Consistency within input in software for Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi and Killer(TM) Wi-Fi in Windows 10 and 11 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege 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

A vulnerability in Intel PROSet/Wireless and Killer WiFi drivers for Windows 10/11 allows improper validation of input data consistency. An unauthenticated attacker within WiFi range can exploit this to escalate privileges on the target system.

MitigationUpdate WiFi drivers to patched versions provided by Intel or Killer. Prioritize systems with wireless connectivity in high-security environments.

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
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/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 installed Intel WiFi adapter
    Open Device Manager, expand Network adapters, and look for Intel wireless adapters (e.g., Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200, Intel(R) Wireless-AC 9560, etc.) or run `Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object {$_.Name -like '*Intel*' -or $_.Name -like '*Wi-Fi*'}`
    Affected if The system has an Intel WiFi adapter matching the affected model names (8260, 8265, 9260, 9560, AX200, AX201, AX210, 3165)
  2. Retrieve WiFi firmware version
    In Device Manager, right-click the Intel WiFi adapter, select Properties, go to the Driver tab, and check the Firmware Version field. Alternatively, open Intel PROSet/Wireless software and navigate to the firmware version display, or use `netsh wlan show drivers` and check driver details
    Affected if A firmware version is displayed for an affected Intel WiFi adapter
  3. Check firmware version for Intel AC 8260/8265
    Compare your installed firmware version against the affected range: versions below 11.8.90 are vulnerable
    Affected if Firmware version < 11.8.90 on Intel AC 8260 or 8265 adapters
  4. Check firmware version for Intel AC 9260/9560
    Compare your installed firmware version against the affected range: versions below 12.0.85 are vulnerable
    Affected if Firmware version < 12.0.85 on Intel AC 9260 or 9560 adapters
  5. Check firmware version for Intel WiFi 6 AX200/AX201/AX210
    Compare your installed version against three vulnerable ranges: < 12.0.85, OR >= 14.0.0 and < 14.1.60, OR >= 15.0.0 and < 15.0.35
    Affected if Firmware version falls into any of these ranges: < 12.0.85, >= 14.0.0 and < 14.1.60, or >= 15.0.0 and < 15.0.35 on AX200, AX201, or AX210 adapters
  6. Check firmware version for Intel PROSet AC 3165
    Compare your installed firmware version against the affected range: versions below 22.60 are vulnerable
    Affected if Firmware version < 22.60 on Intel PROSet AC 3165 adapter

Your system is affected if it contains an Intel WiFi adapter from the affected product list AND the installed firmware version falls within any of the vulnerable version ranges specified for that adapter.

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

Update WiFi drivers to patched versions provided by Intel or Killer. Prioritize systems with wireless connectivity in high-security environments.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firmware >= 11.8.90 (Amt Ac 8260/8265), >= 12.0.85 (Amt Ac 9260/9560, AX200), >= 14.1.60 or >= 15.0.35 (AX201), >= 15.0.35 (AX210), >= 22.60 (Proset 3165)

  1. 1. Identify the exact wireless adapter model in the system using Device Manager (look under Network adapters) or by running 'wmic nic get name,guid'
  2. 2. Note the current firmware version - this can typically be found in the driver properties in Device Manager or via Intel PROSet/Wireless or Killer Control Center software
  3. 3. Download the appropriate firmware/driver update from Intel's support site (www.intel.com) or through the Intel PROSet/Wireless software update feature
  4. 4. For the affected models: Amt Ac 8260/8265 upgrade to firmware >= 11.8.90; Amt Ac 9260/9560 upgrade to >= 12.0.85; Wi-Fi 6 AX200: upgrade to >= 12.0.85 OR >= 14.1.60 OR >= 15.0.35; Wi-Fi 6 AX201: upgrade to >= 14.1.60 OR >= 15.0.35; Wi-Fi 6 AX210: upgrade to >= 15.0.35; Proset Ac 3165: upgrade to >= 22.60
  5. 5. Apply the firmware update following Intel's provided instructions - this typically requires administrator privileges and may require a system reboot
Caveat Firmware updates may reset wireless settings; ensure wireless credentials are backed up before updating; 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
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2021-0163 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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