CVE-2026-20786: Intel NPU Driver DOS Vulnerability

CVE-2026-20786 Overview

CVE-2026-20786 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability [CWE-125] affecting all versions of the Intel(R) Neural Processing Unit (NPU) Driver. The flaw resides in Ring 3: User Applications and permits an authenticated local user to trigger a denial of service condition. Exploitation requires low attack complexity, local access, and low privileges, with no user interaction required. The vulnerability primarily impacts availability, with a limited integrity impact and no confidentiality impact on the affected component.

Critical Impact
An authenticated local attacker can trigger a denial of service against systems running the Intel NPU Driver, disrupting workloads that depend on the neural processing unit.

Affected Products

Intel(R) NPU Driver — all versions
Systems running Intel neural processing unit hardware with the vulnerable driver installed
Ring 3 user-mode applications interacting with the NPU Driver interface

Discovery Timeline

2026-08-11 - CVE-2026-20786 published to NVD
2026-08-12 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-20786

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is an out-of-bounds read [CWE-125] within the Intel NPU Driver. When a user-mode application in Ring 3 interacts with the driver, the driver reads memory beyond the bounds of an allocated buffer. This condition leads to a denial of service against the NPU subsystem or the host system. The flaw does not expose sensitive memory content, as the CVSS vector reports no confidentiality impact on the vulnerable component. However, the availability impact is high, meaning workloads relying on NPU acceleration can be disrupted.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper validation of buffer boundaries when the NPU Driver processes input from user-space applications. The driver reads memory past the end of a valid allocation, producing undefined behavior that manifests as a denial of service. All versions of the Intel NPU Driver are affected, indicating the bounds-checking logic has been absent or insufficient across the driver's release history.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access with authenticated user privileges. An unprivileged process running as a standard user can invoke the vulnerable driver interface and supply crafted input that induces the out-of-bounds read. The attack requires no special conditions, no elevated privileges, and no user interaction. Remote exploitation is not possible because the vector is limited to local access. Refer to the Intel Security Advisory SA-01456 for vendor technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-20786

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected crashes, hangs, or restarts of processes that interact with the Intel NPU Driver
Kernel or driver crash reports referencing the NPU Driver in system event logs
Repeated denial-of-service events tied to a specific unprivileged user or process

Detection Strategies

Monitor system logs for driver faults and bugcheck events that reference the Intel NPU Driver components
Baseline normal NPU workload patterns and alert on anomalous invocation sequences from unprivileged processes
Correlate user process behavior with NPU Driver crashes to identify potential exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable endpoint telemetry to capture driver-level exceptions and kernel crash dumps for forensic review
Track installed Intel NPU Driver versions across the fleet and alert when unpatched systems are detected
Review authentication logs alongside NPU-related crashes to identify local users triggering repeated failures

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-20786

Immediate Actions Required

Inventory all systems with Intel NPU hardware and identify installed driver versions
Apply the updated Intel NPU Driver as soon as Intel releases a fixed version per advisory SA-01456
Restrict local access to systems with the vulnerable driver where feasible, particularly on multi-user hosts

Patch Information

Refer to the Intel Security Advisory SA-01456 for the authoritative list of fixed driver versions and download links. Apply vendor-supplied patches through standard driver update mechanisms and validate the driver version after installation.

Workarounds

Limit local logon rights on affected systems to trusted users only
Disable or unload the Intel NPU Driver on systems that do not require NPU acceleration
Enforce application allowlisting to prevent execution of untrusted binaries that could invoke the vulnerable driver interface

bash

# Configuration example
# Verify installed Intel NPU Driver version on Windows
pnputil /enum-drivers | findstr /i "intel npu"

# List loaded kernel drivers on Linux and check for the NPU module
lsmod | grep -i intel_vpu