CVE-2026-20780 Overview
CVE-2026-20780 is an uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability [CWE-400] affecting Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software for Windows. The flaw resides within Ring 2 device drivers and can be triggered by an unprivileged, unauthenticated local adversary. Successful exploitation causes a denial of service (DoS) condition on the affected system.
The vulnerability requires local access but no user interaction and no elevated privileges. It impacts availability of the vulnerable component with high severity, while confidentiality and integrity remain unaffected. Intel disclosed the issue in security advisory SA-01422.
Critical Impact
A local, unprivileged attacker can exhaust wireless driver resources to force a denial-of-service condition on Windows endpoints running vulnerable Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software.
Affected Products
- Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software for Windows
- Intel wireless device drivers operating within Ring 2
- Refer to Intel Security Advisory SA-01422 for the complete list of affected versions
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-08-11 - CVE-2026-20780 published to NVD
- 2026-08-12 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-20780
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-20780 is classified under [CWE-400] Uncontrolled Resource Consumption. The defect exists in the Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software driver code that executes within Ring 2 privilege level on Windows. Ring 2 drivers operate in a privileged execution context, so resource exhaustion at this layer degrades system availability rather than a single user-mode process.
When the driver receives malformed or high-volume requests from local code paths, it fails to bound its consumption of memory, CPU, or handle resources. The condition can be reached without authentication or elevated privileges. Attack complexity is low, meaning no race conditions or timing constraints must be satisfied.
The direct impact is limited to availability (denial of service) of the wireless driver stack. Subsequent impacts to the broader system availability are rated low, consistent with a component-level DoS rather than a full system halt.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or insufficient resource-usage limits in the wireless driver's request-handling logic. The driver does not adequately validate or throttle inputs, allowing an attacker to submit requests that drive resource consumption beyond safe operating bounds.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires local access to the target Windows host. An unprivileged process interacts with the vulnerable driver interface exposed by Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software. Repeated or malformed requests trigger unbounded resource allocation inside the driver, culminating in a denial-of-service state that disrupts wireless connectivity and may affect system responsiveness. No user interaction is required.
No public proof-of-concept exploit is available, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Refer to the Intel Security Advisory SA-01422 for detailed technical specifics.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-20780
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected termination, hangs, or repeated restarts of the Intel wireless driver service on Windows endpoints
- Sudden loss of Wi-Fi connectivity coinciding with abnormal CPU, memory, or handle consumption by driver-related processes
- Windows Event Log entries indicating driver crashes, WHEA errors, or resource exhaustion tied to Netwtw*.sys or related Intel wireless driver binaries
Detection Strategies
- Monitor endpoint telemetry for unprivileged processes issuing high-frequency ioctl or device I/O requests to Intel wireless driver interfaces
- Correlate wireless driver fault events with process ancestry to identify the originating local process
- Baseline normal driver resource utilization and alert on sustained deviations that align with denial-of-service patterns
Monitoring Recommendations
- Ingest Windows System and Application event logs into a centralized SIEM for driver-fault correlation
- Track installed Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software versions across the fleet and flag hosts running versions listed as vulnerable in Intel SA-01422
- Alert on repeated wireless adapter resets or driver restarts on the same endpoint within short time windows
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-20780
Immediate Actions Required
- Inventory all Windows systems running Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software and identify hosts on vulnerable versions per Intel SA-01422
- Apply the updated Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software driver package published by Intel as soon as it is available in your environment
- Restrict local access to endpoints and enforce least-privilege policies to limit which processes can interact with the wireless driver interface
Patch Information
Intel has published remediation guidance in Intel Security Advisory SA-01422. Administrators should download the updated PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software installer from Intel or obtain the corresponding driver update through their OEM's support channel. Deploy the update through standard software distribution tooling and validate driver versions after installation.
Workarounds
- Where patching is delayed, disable the Intel wireless adapter on systems that do not require Wi-Fi connectivity, using wired networking instead
- Enforce application allow-listing to prevent untrusted local processes from executing on affected endpoints
- Limit physical and remote interactive access to systems running vulnerable driver versions until the patch is deployed
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
