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Amt Ac 8260 FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2021-0178

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 software for Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi 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(R) PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi and Killer(TM) Wi-Fi drivers for Windows 10 and 11 allows an unauthenticated attacker within adjacent network range to potentially cause denial of service via specially crafted input.

MitigationApply the Intel or Killer vendor-provided driver/software updates that address the input validation vulnerability.

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 wireless adapter model
    Open Device Manager, expand Network adapters, and look for Intel or Killer Wi-Fi adapters (e.g., Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200, AX201, AX210, AC8265, AC9260, etc.)
    Affected if The system uses one of the affected adapter models listed in the CVE (8260, 8265, 9260, 9560, AX200, AX201, AX210, or 3165)
  2. Check the firmware/driver version
    In Device Manager, right-click the wireless adapter, select Properties, go to the Driver tab, and note the Driver Version. For firmware version specifically, you can also use the Intel PROSet Wireless software utility or run 'netsh wlan show drivers' in Command Prompt
    Affected if The displayed version number is lower than the fixed versions (11.8.90 for 8260/8265, 12.0.85 for 9260/9560, 14.1.60/15.0.35 for AX200/AX201/AX210, or 22.60 for 3165)
  3. Confirm the adapter is actively used
    Verify the wireless adapter is enabled and connected or has capacity to connect, by checking Device Manager status or running 'netsh wlan show interfaces'
    Affected if The adapter shows as enabled and capable of wireless communication (the vulnerability is exploitable via adjacent network range)

A user is affected if they have one of the listed Intel or Killer wireless adapters with a firmware version that falls below the fixed version numbers for their 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

Apply the Intel or Killer vendor-provided driver/software updates that address the input validation vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firmware version 11.8.90 or later for 8260/8265; 12.0.85 or later for 9260/9560/AX200; 14.1.60 or later for AX201/AX200 (14.x branch); 15.0.35 or later for AX201/AX200/AX210 (15.x branch); 22.60 or later for 3165

  1. Identify the exact Intel Wi-Fi adapter model (e.g., AX200, AX201, AX210, 8260, 8265, 9260, 9560, 3165) in the system using Device Manager or Intel PROSet/Wireless tools
  2. Navigate to the Intel download center or support page for wireless adapters
  3. Search for the specific adapter model and download the latest firmware version matching or exceeding: 11.8.90 for 8260/8265, 12.0.85 for 9260/9560/AX200, 14.1.60 for AX201/AX200 (14.x branch), 15.0.35 for AX201/AX200/AX210 (15.x branch), or 22.60 for 3165
  4. Update the wireless adapter firmware using Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi driver software, or follow Intel's firmware update utility instructions
  5. After update, verify the firmware version in Device Manager to confirm the installed version is at or above the fixed version
Caveat Firmware updates may require system restart; ensure stable power during update to avoid rendering the wireless adapter unusable; some older systems may have BIOS constraints on firmware version compatibility

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
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,900
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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-2021-0178 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