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Amt Ac 8260 FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2021-0179

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 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

A validation framework vulnerability in Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi and Killer Wi-Fi drivers for Windows 10 and 11 allows an unauthenticated attacker within wireless range to potentially cause denial of service via adjacent network access, likely through malformed Wi-Fi frames that bypass validation checks.

MitigationApply the Intel firmware/driver update when available; until then, restrict Wi-Fi exposure by using wired connections in high-security environments and monitor for anomalous wireless activity.

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 Intel Wi-Fi adapter model
    Open Device Manager, expand Network adapters, and look for Intel wireless adapters (e.g., AX200, AX201, 9260, 9560, 8260, 8265, 3165). Alternatively, run 'netsh wlan show interfaces' and note the Radio type or check 'wmic nic where "Name like '%Intel%'" get Name,DeviceID'
    Affected if The adapter model matches one of the affected products: 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 the firmware version
    In Device Manager, right-click the Intel Wi-Fi adapter, select Properties, go to the Details tab, and select Firmware version from the Property dropdown. Alternatively, Intel PROSet/Wireless software displays firmware version in the adapter properties or diagnostics. For command-line, 'netsh wlan show interfaces' may show driver/firmware information.
    Affected if The displayed firmware version is lower than the safe version for the specific adapter model (8260/8265: < 11.8.90; 9260/9560: < 12.0.85; AX200/AX201/AX210: varies by version branch; AC 3165: < 22.60)
  3. Verify driver version as secondary indicator
    In Device Manager, select the Wi-Fi adapter, view Driver tab, and note the Driver Version. Intel driver packages typically bundle firmware versions; check Intel's driver release notes or use Intel Driver & Support Assistant to confirm the bundled firmware version.
    Affected if The driver version corresponds to an older release that includes vulnerable firmware below the patched versions listed for the affected product
  4. Confirm Wi-Fi is enabled and active
    Check that the wireless adapter is not disabled in Device Manager and that Wi-Fi is turned on (use Windows Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi or the wireless toggle). The vulnerability is exploitable via adjacent network access, so an active Wi-Fi interface is required.
    Affected if Wi-Fi is enabled and the adapter is active, meaning the system is exposed to adjacent network attacks

A user is affected if they have one of the listed Intel Wi-Fi adapters with firmware version below the specified thresholds and Wi-Fi is enabled, allowing nearby attackers to send malformed frames causing denial of service.

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 firmware/driver update when available; until then, restrict Wi-Fi exposure by using wired connections in high-security environments and monitor for anomalous wireless activity.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to firmware version 11.8.90 (Amt 8260/8265), 12.0.85 (Amt 9260/9560), 15.0.35 (Wi-Fi 6 AX200/AX201/AX210), or 22.60 (Proset 3165) as applicable to your hardware

  1. 1. Identify the exact Wi-Fi adapter model in the system using Device Manager or Intel PROSet Wireless tools
  2. 2. Download the latest Intel PROSet Wireless Wi-Fi and Killer Wi-Fi software/firmware package from www.intel.com matching the specific adapter model
  3. 3. For Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi: Install the downloaded software package which includes the firmware update
  4. 4. Ensure the system is connected to power during the firmware update process
  5. 5. Restart the computer after the firmware update completes
  6. 6. Verify the firmware version has been updated to the fixed version (11.8.90 for AC 8260/8265, 12.0.85 for AC 9260/9560, 15.0.35 for AX200/AX201/AX210, 22.60 for Proset 3165)
Caveat Firmware updates may temporarily disconnect network connectivity; ensure no critical network operations are in progress during upgrade

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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2021-0179 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