CVE-2026-20741 in PROSet
Summary
by MITRE • 08/11/2026
Improper access control for some Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software within Ring 2: Device Drivers may allow a denial of service. Unprivileged software adversary with an unauthenticated user combined with a low complexity attack may enable denial of service. 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 (none), integrity (none) and availability (high) of the vulnerable system, resulting in subsequent system confidentiality (none), integrity (low) and availability (high) impacts.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/11/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical access control flaw within Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi software operating at Ring 2 level in device drivers. The issue stems from inadequate privilege enforcement mechanisms that allow unprivileged user-level processes to manipulate wireless network driver components without proper authentication or authorization. The vulnerability exists in the software's handling of kernel-mode driver interfaces, where insufficient validation permits malicious code execution with elevated privileges. This represents a classic privilege escalation vector that operates at the operating system kernel level, making it particularly dangerous for system stability and security posture.
The technical implementation flaw manifests through improper validation of access requests within the wireless driver component that manages network connectivity and configuration settings. When an unauthenticated user executes specific software operations against the vulnerable driver interface, the system fails to properly validate the requesting process's privileges before executing sensitive operations. This allows for arbitrary code execution within kernel space, which can be leveraged to disrupt normal system operations. The vulnerability requires no user interaction and can be exploited through local access, making it particularly stealthy and difficult to detect during routine security monitoring activities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as the compromised driver state can lead to complete system instability and potential data loss. Attackers with minimal technical expertise can leverage this weakness to disable wireless connectivity services, potentially causing cascading failures in network-dependent applications and services. The high availability impact rating reflects the system's inability to maintain critical network functionality, while the low integrity impact suggests that data corruption is not a primary concern, though system configuration changes may occur. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-284 Access Control Issues and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate software patching from Intel's official security advisories and implementation of additional access control measures at the operating system level. System administrators should consider disabling unnecessary wireless driver interfaces and implementing kernel-mode protection mechanisms such as Windows Kernel Patch Protection or similar OS-level security features. Network segmentation approaches can help limit lateral movement if exploitation occurs, while continuous monitoring for unauthorized driver access attempts should be implemented. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date system firmware and driver components, particularly those operating at Ring 0 or Ring 2 privilege levels where improper access control can have severe operational consequences across enterprise networks and endpoint security infrastructures.