CVE-2026-20789: Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software privilege escalation in Ring 2 drivers

CVE-2026-20789 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.8 · Published 2026-08-11

Technologies: Intel Wi-Fi 7 Be211, Intel Wi-Fi 7 Be200, Intel Wireless Wifi, Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 Be1775i\/S, Intel Wireless-Ac 9462, Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 Be1750i\/S, Intel Wi-Fi 7 Be201, Intel Wi-Fi 7 Be213, Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6e Ax1675i\/S, Intel Proset\, Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software, Intel Wi-Fi 6 Ax200, Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6e Ax1675x\/W, Intel Wireless-Ac 9560, Intel Wi-Fi 6e Ax211, Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 Ax1650i\/S, Intel Wireless-Ac 9461, Intel Wi-Fi 6 Ax210, Intel Wi-Fi 6 Ax201, Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 Be1750x\/W. Vendors: Intel.

Executive brief

Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software is a driver package for Windows systems that manages wireless network connectivity. An improper access control vulnerability in the Ring 2 device drivers allows unprivileged local attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges without any special knowledge or user interaction, potentially compromising system confidentiality and availability.

Technical details

An improper access control vulnerability exists in the Ring 2 (kernel-mode) device drivers of Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software for Windows. The vulnerability allows unprivileged local software to execute code with kernel-level privileges without prior authentication or user interaction, exploiting a low-complexity attack path. An attacker can achieve local code execution with high impact to system confidentiality and availability. Intel has released software updates to mitigate these vulnerabilities; systems should be updated to the latest patched version.

Affected products

Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software <UNKNOWN>

Timeline

2026-08-11: disclosed: Advisory INTEL-SA-01422 published

References

https://intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-01422.html