CVE-2021-0168 Privilege escalation in Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi in multiple operating systems and some Killer(TM) Wi-Fi in Windows 10 and 11

Medium 6.7 Published 9 Feb 2022 Updated 5 May 2025

A privileged local attacker can escalate privileges due to improper input validation in Intel and Killer Wi-Fi firmware.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: An administrator
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: Available

What is CVE-2021-0168?

CVE-2021-0168 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi in multiple operating systems and some Killer(TM) Wi-Fi in Windows 10 and 11, published on 9 Feb 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

Improper input validation 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 privileged user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access.

Weakness: CWE-20

Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-0168?

It affects 22 products.

Products include Intel Amt Ac 8260 Firmware, Intel Amt Ac 8265 Firmware, Intel Amt Ac 9260 Firmware, Intel Amt Ac 9560 Firmware, Intel Amt Wi-Fi 6 Ax200 Firmware, Intel Amt Wi-Fi 6 Ax201 Firmware and 16 more.

How do I fix CVE-2021-0168?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Is CVE-2021-0168 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-0168 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-98v9-34f6-ch2v, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-0168.