CVE-2026-20714: Intel QAT Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2026-20714 Overview

CVE-2026-20714 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability [CWE-787] affecting Intel QuickAssist Technology (QAT) software drivers for Windows before version 1.13. The flaw resides in Ring 3 user-application code paths and allows an authenticated local attacker to escalate privileges on the affected system. Exploitation requires no user interaction and has low attack complexity. Successful exploitation can compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the vulnerable system. Intel disclosed the issue in advisory Intel-SA-01387 and provided fixed driver versions.

Critical Impact

An authenticated local user can trigger an out-of-bounds memory write in the Intel QAT driver to gain elevated privileges on Windows hosts.

Affected Products

• Intel QuickAssist Technology (QAT) software drivers for Windows
• All driver versions prior to 1.13
• Windows systems using Intel QAT acceleration

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-05-12 - CVE-2026-20714 published to NVD
• 2026-05-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-20714

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is an out-of-bounds write [CWE-787] in the Intel QAT software driver for Windows. Intel QuickAssist Technology accelerates cryptographic and compression workloads, and the Windows driver exposes user-mode interfaces that interact with kernel components. The flaw lies within Ring 3 user-application driver code that fails to enforce proper bounds when writing to a memory buffer. An unprivileged but authenticated local attacker can craft input that causes the driver to write outside the intended buffer. This memory corruption can be leveraged to alter privileged structures and achieve escalation of privilege. The issue impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected host but does not propagate to subsequent systems.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient bounds checking on a write operation within Intel QAT driver components shipped before version 1.13. When user-supplied data exceeds the expected size, the driver writes past the allocated buffer boundary. The resulting memory corruption can overwrite adjacent data structures used by privileged code paths.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local and requires an authenticated user context on the target Windows system. The attacker does not need administrative rights, special internal knowledge, or user interaction. Exploitation involves invoking the vulnerable driver interface with malformed input from a low-privileged process to corrupt memory and gain elevated privileges.

No public proof-of-concept code is available. See the Intel Security Advisory SA-01387 for vendor-provided technical details and remediation guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-20714

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes or bug checks involving Intel QAT driver modules on Windows hosts
• Unprivileged processes opening handles to Intel QAT device objects followed by privilege changes
• Driver event log entries indicating abnormal IOCTL requests to QAT components
• Newly elevated processes spawned from accounts that historically operate at standard user privilege

Detection Strategies

• Inventory all Windows endpoints and servers running Intel QAT drivers and confirm versions are at or above 1.13
• Monitor for non-administrative processes issuing IOCTL calls to Intel QAT device interfaces
• Correlate driver load events with subsequent token elevation or SeDebugPrivilege acquisition
• Hunt for crash dumps referencing QAT driver modules that may indicate exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Windows kernel and driver telemetry for QAT-related modules and forward events to a central SIEM
• Track installations and updates of Intel QAT packages through software inventory tooling
• Alert on anomalous parent-child process relationships originating from accounts that interact with QAT services

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-20714

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade all Intel QAT software drivers for Windows to version 1.13 or later as published in Intel-SA-01387
• Identify systems where QAT acceleration is enabled but not required and remove the driver
• Restrict interactive and remote logon rights on hosts where QAT is in use to limit local attack surface
• Audit local user accounts and remove unnecessary standard-user access on QAT-enabled servers

Patch Information

Intel addressed CVE-2026-20714 in Intel QAT software drivers for Windows version 1.13 and later. Administrators should download the updated driver package from Intel and deploy it through standard endpoint management tooling. Refer to Intel Security Advisory SA-01387 for the authoritative version mapping and download links.

Workarounds

• Disable or uninstall the Intel QAT driver on systems that do not require cryptographic or compression acceleration until patching is complete
• Apply least-privilege controls and restrict local logon to trusted administrative users on affected hosts
• Use application allowlisting to block unauthorized binaries from interacting with the QAT device interface

# Verify installed Intel QAT driver version on Windows (PowerShell)
Get-WmiObject Win32_PnPSignedDriver | \
  Where-Object { $_.DeviceName -like "*QuickAssist*" } | \
  Select-Object DeviceName, DriverVersion, Manufacturer