CVE-2026-20789 Privilege escalation in Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software for Windows

High 8.4 Published 11 Aug 2026 Updated 12 Aug 2026

An unprivileged local attacker can exploit improper access control in Intel WiFi drivers to escalate privileges and execute code.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2026-20789?

CVE-2026-20789 is a high-severity vulnerability in Intel Proset\/Wireless Wifi, published on 11 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

Improper access control for some Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software for Windows within Ring 2: Device Drivers may allow an escalation of privilege. Unprivileged software adversary with an unauthenticated user combined with a low complexity attack may enable local code execution. This result may potentially occur via local access when attack requirements are not present without special internal knowledge and requires no user interaction. The potential vulnerability may impact the confidentiality (low), integrity (low) and availability (high) of the vulnerable system, resulting in subsequent system confidentiality (high), integrity (low) and availability (low) impacts.

Weakness: CWE-284

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-20789?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Intel Proset\/Wireless Wifi.

How do I fix CVE-2026-20789?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-20789 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Is CVE-2026-20789 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-20789 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Intel Proset\/Wireless Wifi vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-vxqh-p2vp-g97f.