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Amt Ac 8260 FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2021-0165

MEDIUM · 6.5 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 →
70/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 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 an unauthenticated user to potentially enable denial of service 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

Improper input validation in Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi and Killer Wi-Fi firmware allows an unauthenticated attacker with adjacent network access to potentially cause denial of service by sending specially crafted wireless packets that trigger the validation failure.

MitigationApply Intel firmware updates or vendor-supplied patches for affected Wi-Fi adapters; prioritize systems with wireless exposure to adjacent attackers.

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 Intel Wi-Fi adapter model
    Open Device Manager (devmgmt.msc), expand 'Network adapters', and look for Intel wireless adapters such as AC 8260, AC 8265, AC 9260, AC 9560, Wi-Fi 6 AX200, AX201, AX210, or AC 3165. Alternatively, run 'netsh wlan show interfaces' to list the wireless adapter.
    Affected if The system uses one of the Intel Wi-Fi adapter models listed in the affected products.
  2. Check the firmware version of the Intel Wi-Fi adapter
    In Device Manager, right-click the Intel wireless adapter, select Properties, go to the 'Driver' tab, and note the Driver Version. For more accurate firmware version, use Intel PROSet/Wireless software if installed, or Intel's PROSet/Wireless Adapter User Guide utility. The version format varies by adapter (for example, 11.x.x.x for older adapters or 12.x.x.x, 14.x.x.x, 15.x.x.x for Wi-Fi 6 adapters).
    Affected if The firmware version cannot be determined or is below the thresholds listed for your specific adapter model.
  3. Compare against affected version ranges for AC 8260/8265
    If the adapter is AC 8260 or AC 8265, verify the firmware version is at least 11.8.90. Versions below 11.8.90 are affected.
    Affected if The installed firmware version is less than 11.8.90 for AC 8260 or AC 8265.
  4. Compare against affected version ranges for AC 9260/9560
    If the adapter is AC 9260 or AC 9560, verify the firmware version is at least 12.0.85. Versions below 12.0.85 are affected.
    Affected if The installed firmware version is less than 12.0.85 for AC 9260 or AC 9560.
  5. Compare against affected version ranges for Wi-Fi 6 adapters (AX200, AX201, AX210)
    For AX200, AX201, or AX210 adapters, check if the firmware version falls into any of these affected ranges: below 12.0.85, OR between 14.0.0 and 14.1.59 (inclusive), OR between 15.0.0 and 15.0.34 (inclusive). Note that AX200 also has the additional range below 12.0.85.
    Affected if The firmware version is less than 12.0.85, or is 14.0.0 to 14.1.59, or is 15.0.0 to 15.0.34 for AX200/AX201/AX210.
  6. Compare against affected version ranges for AC 3165
    If the adapter is AC 3165, verify the firmware version is at least 22.60. Versions below 22.60 are affected.
    Affected if The installed firmware version is less than 22.60 for AC 3165.

A user is affected if their system has any of the listed Intel Wi-Fi adapters (8260, 8265, 9260, 9560, AX200, AX201, AX210, or 3165) with a firmware version that falls within the specific vulnerable ranges for that 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 Intel firmware updates or vendor-supplied patches for affected Wi-Fi adapters; prioritize systems with wireless exposure to adjacent attackers.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to firmware version 11.8.90 (Amt Ac 8260/8265), 12.0.85 (Amt Ac 9260/9560, Amt Wi-Fi 6 Ax200), 14.1.60 (for 14.x branch), 15.0.35 (Amt Wi-Fi 6 Ax200/Ax201/Ax210), or 22.60 (Proset Ac 3165) as applicable to your specific adapter model

  1. 1. Identify the exact Intel Wi-Fi adapter model (e.g., AX200, AX201, AX210) in the affected system using Device Manager or system information utilities
  2. 2. Determine the current firmware version installed on the Wi-Fi adapter
  3. 3. Download the latest Intel Wi-Fi firmware update from the official Intel support website (www.intel.com) specific to the adapter model
  4. 4. Apply the firmware update using Intel's firmware update utility or the method specified in the product documentation
  5. 5. For Intel PROSet/Wireless users, ensure the wireless driver is also updated to a compatible version
  6. 6. Reboot the system after applying the firmware update
  7. 7. Verify the firmware has been updated to the fixed version: 11.8.90 or higher for AC 8260/8265, 12.0.85 or higher for AC 9260/9560 and AX200, 14.1.60 or higher for AX200/Ax201 (14.x branch), 15.0.35 or higher for AX200/Ax201/Ax210, or 22.60 or higher for Proset AC 3165
Caveat Firmware updates for Wi-Fi adapters may require corresponding driver updates; ensure compatibility with the operating system before applying

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
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2021-0165 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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