CVE-2026-20739 in PROSet
Summary
by MITRE • 08/11/2026
Improper conditions check for some Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software for Windows within Ring 2: Device Drivers may allow a denial of service. Network adversary with an unauthenticated user combined with a low complexity attack may enable denial of service. This result may potentially occur via adjacent access when attack requirements are not present without special internal knowledge and requires no user interaction. The potential vulnerability may impact the confidentiality (none), integrity (none) and availability (high) of the vulnerable system, resulting in subsequent system confidentiality (none), integrity (none) and availability (low) impacts.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/11/2026
This vulnerability involves a critical flaw in Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software for Windows operating within ring 2 device drivers where improper conditions checking creates exploitable denial of service opportunities. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient validation mechanisms that fail to properly assess system states before executing critical network operations, allowing malicious actors to disrupt wireless connectivity services without requiring authentication or user interaction.
The technical implementation flaw stems from inadequate input validation and state management within the driver components responsible for wireless network configuration and operation. When processing network-related commands or system events, the software fails to adequately verify preconditions or validate operational contexts, creating opportunities for adversarial exploitation through crafted inputs or manipulated system states. This weakness operates at the kernel level within ring 2 execution context, making it particularly dangerous as it bypasses user-mode security boundaries and directly impacts system stability.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant availability risk that can be exploited by network adversaries with minimal attack complexity and no authentication requirements. The attack vector allows for adjacent access exploitation, meaning that an attacker within the same network segment can potentially trigger the denial of service condition without requiring special internal knowledge or user interaction. This characteristic makes it particularly concerning for enterprise environments where wireless infrastructure is critical to operations.
The impact assessment reveals high availability implications while maintaining no direct effects on confidentiality or integrity, though the cascading effects could indirectly compromise system integrity through repeated disruption attempts. The vulnerability creates a persistent threat that can be leveraged to continuously disrupt wireless network services, potentially affecting business continuity and user productivity. This aligns with CWE-254 weakness classification related to security features that are improperly implemented.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate software updates from Intel to address the specific driver condition checking flaws, alongside network segmentation to limit adjacent access capabilities. System administrators should implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual wireless service disruption patterns and establish incident response procedures for rapid remediation. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1499.002 focused on network denial of service attacks, emphasizing the need for robust driver validation mechanisms and proper privilege separation between user and kernel execution contexts. Organizations should also consider implementing additional network access controls to limit potential exploitation vectors while maintaining operational security through regular vulnerability assessments and patch management processes.