Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw affects firmware in some Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi and Killer Wi-Fi products. A nearby unauthenticated attacker could potentially disrupt availability, causing denial of service. The available source bundle does not show data theft or privilege escalation impact.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate availability risk for wireless endpoints. Prioritize remediation where disrupted Wi-Fi would affect operations, field staff, executives, or devices used in untrusted wireless locations.
Technical view
CVE-2021-0173 is CWE-20 improper input validation in Wi-Fi firmware. The CVSS 3.1 vector is AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, meaning adjacent-network access can trigger high availability impact without credentials or user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on endpoints using affected Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi across multiple operating systems, or affected Killer Wi-Fi on Windows 10 and 11. The attacker must have adjacent access, such as wireless proximity.
Exploitation context
The source bundle marks CISA KEV status as false and provides no evidence of active exploitation. The attack is adjacent-access denial of service, so risk is highest in shared, public, or hostile wireless environments.
Researcher notes
Affected version detail is not present in the supplied bundle beyond “see references.” Validation should focus on vendor advisory mapping, adapter identification, and firmware or driver version evidence. Do not assume remote internet exploitability; the CVSS attack vector is adjacent.
Mitigation direction
- Check Intel advisory INTEL-SA-00539 for affected adapters and vendor guidance.
- Update affected Intel or Killer Wi-Fi firmware and drivers according to vendor instructions.
- Prioritize laptops and endpoints frequently used on public or shared Wi-Fi.
- Monitor Intel and device OEM advisories for version-specific remediation details.
Validation and detection
- Inventory endpoints with Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi or Killer Wi-Fi adapters.
- Compare installed driver and firmware versions against Intel advisory INTEL-SA-00539.
- Confirm Windows 10 and 11 Killer Wi-Fi systems are included in the review.
- Document systems where affected versions cannot be confirmed from available sources.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-20: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-0173 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H2.83.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00539.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Input Validation
Improper Input Validation represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.