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Amt Ac 8260 FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2021-0164

HIGH · 7.8 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 →
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 firmware for Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi in multiple operating systems and Killer(TM) Wi-Fi in Windows 10 and 11 may allow an unauthenticated 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

This is a firmware-level improper access control vulnerability in Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi and Killer Wi-Fi drivers. An unauthenticated local user can exploit this flaw to gain elevated privileges on the affected system.

MitigationUpdate Wi-Fi firmware and drivers to the latest versions provided by Intel or Killer networking software.

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
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 the installed Wi-Fi adapter model
    Open Device Manager, expand 'Network adapters', and look for Intel or Killer wireless adapters (e.g., Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200, AC 8265, etc.). Alternatively, run 'netsh wlan show interfaces' to list wireless adapter details.
    Affected if The adapter is one of: Intel AC 8260, AC 8265, AC 9260, AC 9560, Wi-Fi 6 AX200, Wi-Fi 6 AX201, Wi-Fi 6 AX210, or Proset AC 3165.
  2. Retrieve the current firmware version
    In Device Manager, right-click the Wi-Fi adapter, select 'Properties', go to the 'Driver' tab, and click 'Driver Details' for firmware information. Or use 'netsh wlan show interfaces' which may display firmware version. Intel PROSet users can check via the software interface under adapter properties.
    Affected if A firmware version is returned that matches one of the affected product lines.
  3. Compare firmware version against affected ranges
    Check if the installed firmware version falls into any of these ranges: AC 8260/8265 < 11.8.90; AC 9260/9560 < 12.0.85; AX200 < 12.0.85 OR >= 14.0.0 and < 14.1.60 OR >= 15.0.0 and < 15.0.35; AX201 >= 14.0.0 and < 14.1.60 OR >= 15.0.0 and < 15.0.35; AX210 < 15.0.35; AC 3165 < 22.60.
    Affected if The installed version is within any of the listed vulnerable ranges.
  4. Verify Intel PROSet or Killer software is installed
    Check Programs and Features for 'Intel PROSet/Wireless Software' or 'Killer Software' entries. Also check the system tray for Intel Wireless or Killer icon indicating the software suite is active.
    Affected if Intel PROSet or Killer wireless software is present on the system.

A user is affected if their system has an Intel or Killer Wi-Fi adapter from the listed models and the installed firmware version is below the safe threshold for that specific 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

Update Wi-Fi firmware and drivers to the latest versions provided by Intel or Killer networking software.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to firmware version 11.8.90 (Amt Ac 8260/8265), 12.0.85 (Amt Ac 9260/9560), 15.0.35 (Amt Wi Fi 6 Ax200/Ax201/Ax210), or 22.60 (Proset Ac 3165) depending on adapter model

  1. 1. Identify the exact Intel wireless adapter model in the system using Device Manager or system information tools
  2. 2. Download the latest Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi driver and firmware package from the official Intel support website (www.intel.com)
  3. 3. Extract or run the installer package for the specific adapter model (8260, 8265, 9260, 9560, Ax200, Ax201, Ax210, or 3165)
  4. 4. Follow the on-screen installation prompts to update both the driver and firmware
  5. 5. Restart the system to ensure the new firmware is properly loaded
  6. 6. Verify the firmware version has been updated by checking the adapter properties in Device Manager
Caveat Firmware updates may temporarily interrupt wireless connectivity; ensure wired network or backup connectivity is available during the update process

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-2021-0164 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