CVE-2026-20789 in PROSet
Summary
by MITRE • 08/11/2026
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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/11/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software for Windows operating in ring 2 context, specifically affecting device drivers that handle wireless network configuration. The weakness stems from inadequate access control mechanisms that fail to properly validate privilege levels when processing certain driver operations, creating an exploitable pathway for unprivileged adversaries to execute code with elevated privileges. The vulnerability exists within the software's driver component which operates at a lower privilege level than the kernel but still maintains sufficient capabilities to manipulate system resources through improper access control checks.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves insufficient validation of user privileges during driver function calls, allowing malicious software or unauthorized processes to bypass normal access controls that should prevent non-privileged users from executing sensitive operations. Attackers can exploit this by leveraging local access to trigger specific driver functions that should only be callable by privileged processes, effectively elevating their execution context from ring 2 to a higher privilege level where they gain unauthorized control over system resources and network configuration parameters.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it creates a persistent backdoor for attackers who can maintain system control without requiring user interaction or authentication. The low complexity attack vector combined with local access requirements means that once an attacker gains physical presence or initial access to the system, they can leverage this vulnerability to achieve complete system compromise. The attack requires no special internal knowledge beyond basic understanding of the target system's wireless configuration, making it particularly dangerous for environments where physical security is not adequately maintained.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues and maps directly to ATT&CK technique T1068 Privilege Escalation through kernel exploits. The confidentiality impact is rated as low due to the specific nature of the privilege escalation rather than direct data access, while integrity impact remains low since the primary concern is execution control rather than data corruption. However, the availability impact is rated high because successful exploitation can result in complete system compromise and denial of service conditions that persist even after system restarts. The subsequent system impacts show a shift from low confidentiality to high confidentiality risk, indicating that once compromised, attackers gain access to sensitive system information that could be used for further attacks or data exfiltration.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate software updates from Intel to address the driver privilege escalation flaw, along with implementing additional security controls such as driver signature enforcement and restricted user account management. Organizations should also consider network segmentation and monitoring for suspicious driver activity to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper access control implementation in kernel-mode drivers and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of device drivers that operate at elevated privilege levels within operating system environments.