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Amt Ac 8260 FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2021-0169

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
Uncontrolled Search Path Element in software for Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless 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

Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi software for Windows 10 and 11 contains an uncontrolled search path element vulnerability. A privileged user with local access could exploit this to load arbitrary code by placing malicious files in locations the application searches, potentially achieving privilege escalation.

MitigationUpdate Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi software to the latest version provided by Intel, which should contain the corrected path handling. Verify that DLL search paths are properly secured and do not allow user-controlled locations.

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 Intel Wi-Fi adapter model
    Open Device Manager, expand 'Network adapters', and look for Intel wireless adapters (e.g., Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200, Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265, etc.). Note the exact model name.
    Affected if The system has any of these Intel wireless adapters: 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. Check firmware version via Intel driver utility
    Run the Intel Driver & Support Assistant (or similar Intel utility) to detect the installed wireless driver and firmware version. Alternatively, in Device Manager, right-click the Intel Wi-Fi adapter, select 'Properties', go to the 'Driver' tab, and note the driver version. For firmware-specific version, use Intel's PROSet firmware update utility or check firmware through the adapter properties.
    Affected if The displayed firmware or driver version is lower than the fixed versions listed for the specific adapter model.
  3. Compare against affected version ranges
    Match your identified adapter model and firmware version to the affected ranges: AC 8260/8265 need >= 11.8.90; AC 9260/9560 need >= 12.0.85; AX200 needs >= 12.0.85 AND >= 14.1.60 AND >= 15.0.35; AX201 needs >= 14.1.60 AND >= 15.0.35; AX210 needs >= 15.0.35; AC 3165 needs >= 22.60.
    Affected if The installed firmware version is below ANY of the required minimum versions for that specific adapter model.
  4. Verify DLL search path security (secondary indicator)
    Check the Intel PROSet installation directory (typically in Program Files or Program Files x86) for proper permissions. Ensure the folder and subfolders are not writable by non-privileged users. Use icacls or file explorer to verify ACLs.
    Affected if Users without administrator privileges can write to directories where Intel Wi-Fi executables load DLLs from.

You are affected if your system uses any of the listed Intel wireless adapters AND the installed firmware version is below the minimum version required for your 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

Update Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi software to the latest version provided by Intel, which should contain the corrected path handling. Verify that DLL search paths are properly secured and do not allow user-controlled locations.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firmware version 11.8.90 or later for AC 8260/8265; 12.0.85 or later for AC 9260/9560; 15.0.35 or later for Wi-Fi 6 AX200/AX201/AX210; 22.60 or later for PROSet AC 3165

  1. 1. Identify the exact Intel wireless adapter model in the system using Device Manager or Intel Driver & Support Assistant
  2. 2. Determine the current firmware version installed on the wireless adapter
  3. 3. Download the latest Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi software and drivers from the official Intel support website (www.intel.com) for the specific adapter model
  4. 4. Install the updated wireless driver and PROSet software following Intel's installation instructions
  5. 5. Verify the firmware has been updated to a version >= 11.8.90 (for AC 8260/8265), >= 12.0.85 (for AC 9260/9560), >= 15.0.35 (for Wi-Fi 6 AX200/AX201/AX210), or >= 22.60 (for PROSet AC 3165)
Caveat Firmware updates may require administrator privileges and a system restart; ensure wireless connectivity is not critical 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
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-0169 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
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