dbcve.org
Amt Ac 8260 FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2021-0171

MEDIUM · 5.5 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 →
57/100
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 access control in software for Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi and Killer(TM) Wi-Fi in Windows 10 and 11 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable information disclosure 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

Improper access control in Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi and Killer(TM) Wi-Fi drivers for Windows 10 and 11 allows an authenticated local user to potentially access sensitive information that should be restricted.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch or update to Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi or Killer Wi-Fi software. If no patch is available, restrict local privileged access and monitor for unauthorized access attempts to system memory or driver interfaces.

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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, and note the Intel Wi-Fi adapter name (e.g., Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200, Intel Wireless 8265, etc.)
    Affected if The adapter model matches any of: 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 installed firmware version
    Use Intel PROSet Wireless utility, or run 'wmic baseboard get product,manufacturer' and check adapter firmware via 'netsh wlan show driver' or Intel Driver & Support Assistant
    Affected if Unable to determine the firmware version from available system tools
  3. Compare firmware version against affected ranges
    Match your installed firmware version to the specific version constraints: AC 8260/8265 < 11.8.90; AC 9260/9560, AX200, AX201, AX210 < 12.0.85 or per version-specific ranges; AC 3165 < 22.60
    Affected if Your installed firmware version falls within any of the listed vulnerable version ranges (less than the fixed versions)
  4. Verify local authenticated user access exists
    Confirm that non-administrator local user accounts exist on the system, as the vulnerability requires an authenticated local user to exploit
    Affected if Local user accounts with limited privileges exist on the affected Windows 10 or 11 system

Your environment is affected if you have an Intel Wi-Fi adapter from the listed models and the installed firmware version is below the fixed versions for your specific 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

Apply the vendor-supplied patch or update to Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi or Killer Wi-Fi software. If no patch is available, restrict local privileged access and monitor for unauthorized access attempts to system memory or driver interfaces.

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) as applicable to the specific adapter

  1. 1. Identify the specific Intel Wi-Fi adapter model in the system (e.g., AX200, AX201, AX210, etc.) via Device Manager
  2. 2. Download the latest Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi driver and firmware package for the identified adapter from intel.com/support
  3. 3. Run the Intel PROSet installation package as Administrator
  4. 4. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the firmware and driver update
  5. 5. Restart the system after the update completes
  6. 6. Verify the installed firmware version matches the fixed version (11.8.90, 12.0.85, or 15.0.35 depending on adapter model)
Caveat Firmware updates may temporarily disconnect network connectivity; ensure stable power during the update process to avoid rendering the wireless adapter inoperable

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

Fix this in Amt Ac 8260 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2021-0171 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