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Amt Ac 8260 FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2021-0174

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 Use of Validation Framework in firmware for some Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi in multiple operating systems and some Killer(TM) Wi-Fi in Windows 10 and 11 may allow a 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 validation framework usage in Intel PROSet/Wireless and Killer Wi-Fi firmware allows an adjacent, unauthenticated attacker to potentially cause denial of service. The vulnerability exists in the firmware validation logic for Wi-Fi components, enabling a malformed input via adjacent network access to trigger a DoS condition.

MitigationUpdate Wi-Fi firmware/drivers to vendor-provided patches. For Intel PROSet/Wireless, apply the latest firmware version from Intel's support site. For Killer Wi-Fi adapters, update through the vendor's driver/firmware updates.

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 Wi-Fi adapter model
    Open Device Manager, expand Network adapters, look for Intel or Killer wireless adapter (e.g., Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200, Intel AC 8265, etc.)
    Affected if The adapter is any 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. Check current firmware version via Intel PROSet/Wireless
    Open Intel PROSet/Wireless software, go to Wireless Settings or Driver/Firmware version information. Alternatively, use command: netsh wlan show drivers and check firmware version field, or use Intel Driver & Support Assistant
    Affected if Firmware version cannot be determined or shows as unknown (vulnerability may still apply)
  3. Compare firmware version against affected ranges
    Match your adapter model and firmware version to: 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 Your firmware version falls within ANY of the listed vulnerable version ranges for your specific adapter model
  4. Verify wireless interface is enabled
    Check that Wi-Fi is turned on and the adapter is active in Device Manager or network connections
    Affected if The adapter is present but disabled (vulnerability not reachable while disabled)
  5. Confirm adjacent network exposure
    Verify the system can receive Wi-Fi probe requests or is connected to a network (the attack requires adjacent network access, not remote)
    Affected if System Wi-Fi is actively scanning or connected to any wireless network

You are affected if you have any of the listed Intel or Killer Wi-Fi adapters with a firmware version lower than the fixed version for your specific model, and your Wi-Fi interface is enabled and can receive adjacent network traffic.

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/drivers to vendor-provided patches. For Intel PROSet/Wireless, apply the latest firmware version from Intel's support site. For Killer Wi-Fi adapters, update through the vendor's driver/firmware updates.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to firmware version 11.8.90 or later for 8260/8265; 12.0.85 or later for 9260/9560 and Ax200 (initial fix); 14.1.60 or later for Ax200/Ax201; 15.0.35 or later for Ax200/Ax201/Ax210; 22.60 or later for Proset 3165

  1. 1. Identify the exact Intel(R) wireless adapter model in your system (e.g., AX200, AX201, AX210, etc.) via Device Manager or system information.
  2. 2. Determine the current firmware version of the wireless adapter: Open Device Manager > expand Network adapters > right-click the Intel Wi-Fi adapter > select Properties > go to the Driver tab > note the driver version (firmware version may be shown in the Driver version field or in Advanced settings).
  3. 3. Download the appropriate Intel Wireless Bluetooth and Wi-Fi driver package for your specific adapter from the official Intel download center (www.intel.com).
  4. 4. Run the installer as Administrator to update the wireless adapter firmware to the fixed version: for Ax200/Ax201 upgrade to 14.1.60 or later, or 15.0.35 or later; for Ax210 upgrade to 15.0.35 or later; for 8260/8265 upgrade to 11.8.90 or later; for 9260/9560 upgrade to 12.0.85 or later; for Proset 3165 upgrade to 22.60 or later.
  5. 5. Restart the system after the firmware update completes 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 require system restart and could reset wireless configurations; ensure backup of wireless profiles if needed

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
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2021-0174 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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