Is CVE-2026-20738 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-20738 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2026-20738?

Informational severity, with a CVSS score of 8.5, published 12 May 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

Intel QuickAssist Adapter 8960 software before 1.13.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-20738?

No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

How is CVE-2026-20738 attacked?

It is attacked with local access, in a software library.

Am I affected by CVE-2026-20738?

Check whether you run Intel QuickAssist Adapter 8960 software at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2026-20738: Intel QuickAssist Adapter 8960 untrusted pointer dereference

CVE-2026-20738 · Severity: info · CVSS 8.5 · Published 2026-05-12

A vulnerability in the software for Intel QuickAssist Adapter 8960 could allow a local user to gain higher-level system privileges. This hardware is typically used to accelerate data compression and cryptography tasks in servers. An attacker with existing access to the system could exploit this flaw to compromise the confidentiality and integrity of the entire system.

Technologies: Intel QuickAssist Adapter 8960 software. Vendors: Intel.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-20738 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-20738 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-20738?: Informational severity, with a CVSS score of 8.5, published 12 May 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: Intel QuickAssist Adapter 8960 software before 1.13.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-20738?: No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.
How is CVE-2026-20738 attacked?: It is attacked with local access, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-20738?: Check whether you run Intel QuickAssist Adapter 8960 software at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

Technical details

An untrusted pointer dereference vulnerability (CWE-822) exists in the Intel QuickAssist Adapter 8960 software drivers for Windows before version 1.13. The flaw resides within Ring 3 user applications. A local, authenticated attacker can exploit this vulnerability with low complexity and no user interaction to achieve an escalation of privilege. Successful exploitation grants the attacker high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts on the local system. Intel has released version 1.13 to mitigate this issue.

Affected products

Intel QuickAssist Adapter 8960 software before 1.13

Timeline

2026-05-12: disclosed
2026-05-12: advisory

References

https://intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-01387.html

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