CVE-2020-0557: Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Escalation Flaw

CVE-2020-0557 Overview

CVE-2020-0557 is an insecure inherited permissions vulnerability affecting Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi products before version 21.70 on Windows 10. This privilege escalation flaw allows an authenticated local user to potentially gain elevated privileges on the affected system through improper permission inheritance in the wireless driver software.

Critical Impact

An authenticated attacker with local access can exploit insecure permission inheritance to escalate privileges, potentially gaining administrative control over the affected Windows 10 system.

Affected Products

• Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi (versions before 21.70)
• Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
• Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201
• Intel Wireless-AC 9260
• Intel Wireless-AC 9461
• Intel Wireless-AC 9462
• Intel Wireless-AC 9560
• Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
• Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
• Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
• Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168
• Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 (Rev D)

Discovery Timeline

• April 15, 2020 - CVE-2020-0557 published to NVD
• November 21, 2024 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2020-0557

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource), where the Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi software fails to properly restrict permission inheritance for critical resources. When the software is installed, certain files, directories, or registry keys inherit overly permissive access controls from their parent objects. This allows authenticated users with limited privileges to modify or replace critical components that are subsequently executed with elevated privileges.

The vulnerability requires local access and an authenticated user account, but once these conditions are met, exploitation can lead to complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the affected system. The attack does not require user interaction, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users may have local access to systems with vulnerable Intel wireless drivers.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2020-0557 lies in improper permission assignment during the installation or runtime operation of Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi software. When creating files, directories, or other system resources, the software fails to explicitly set restrictive permissions, instead allowing these objects to inherit permissions from parent containers. On Windows 10 systems, this can result in low-privileged users having write access to executable files or configuration data used by privileged system services.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2020-0557 is local, requiring the attacker to have authenticated access to the target Windows 10 system. The exploitation scenario involves:

1. An authenticated user identifies writable resources (files, directories, or registry keys) associated with the Intel wireless software
2. The attacker modifies or replaces these resources with malicious content
3. When a privileged process (such as a system service or administrative utility) accesses these resources, the malicious payload executes with elevated privileges

This vulnerability is particularly concerning in shared workstation environments, corporate laptops, and any scenario where multiple users have local access to the same Windows 10 machine running vulnerable Intel wireless drivers.

Detection Methods for CVE-2020-0557

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected modifications to files within the Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi installation directory
• Changes to registry keys associated with Intel wireless services with non-administrator timestamps
• Unusual process execution chains originating from Intel wireless software components
• New or modified DLL files in Intel wireless software directories

Detection Strategies

• Monitor file system access controls on Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi installation directories using Windows Security Event logging
• Implement file integrity monitoring for critical executable and configuration files in the Intel wireless software installation path
• Use endpoint detection tools to identify privilege escalation attempts involving Intel wireless components
• Audit Windows ACLs on directories under C:\Program Files\Intel\ for overly permissive inherited permissions

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Windows Security Event ID 4663 (Object Access) for Intel wireless software directories
• Configure SentinelOne policies to alert on modifications to Intel wireless software binaries by non-administrative accounts
• Implement baseline ACL monitoring to detect permission changes on Intel PROSet/Wireless resources
• Monitor for unusual service restarts or crashes of Intel wireless-related services

How to Mitigate CVE-2020-0557

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi software to version 21.70 or later immediately
• Audit current permissions on Intel wireless software installation directories and registry keys
• Review user access to systems with affected Intel wireless hardware to minimize local access exposure
• Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized binaries in Intel software directories

Patch Information

Intel has addressed this vulnerability in Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi version 21.70 and later. Administrators should download the updated driver software from the Intel Security Advisory SA-00338 or through Intel's Driver & Support Assistant. The patch corrects the permission inheritance behavior to ensure critical resources are created with properly restrictive access controls.

Workarounds

• Manually restrict permissions on Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi installation directories using Windows ACL management tools until patching is possible
• Limit local user access to affected systems where practical
• Use Windows Software Restriction Policies or AppLocker to prevent execution of unauthorized binaries in Intel software directories
• Monitor and alert on any changes to Intel wireless software components as an interim detection measure

# Example: Review and restrict ACLs on Intel wireless directory (PowerShell)
# Review current permissions
Get-Acl "C:\Program Files\Intel\WiFi" | Format-List

# Remove inherited permissions and set explicit restrictive ACLs
$acl = Get-Acl "C:\Program Files\Intel\WiFi"
$acl.SetAccessRuleProtection($true, $false)
Set-Acl "C:\Program Files\Intel\WiFi" $acl