Intel PROSet/Wireless CVE-2026-20780

Local access to the target machine is required - this vulnerability cannot be exploited remotely over a network (AV:L per CVSS 4.0). Exploitation requires only an unprivileged local user-space process; no elevated administrative rights or authentication beyond a standard local session are needed (PR:N per CVSS 4.0 vector). No user interaction is required once local code execution is established. The target must have Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software for Windows installed with its Ring 2 device driver actively loaded. Limiting factors include the mandatory local access prerequisite, the requirement for Intel PROSet/Wireless driver presence (not applicable on systems using native Windows WiFi drivers or non-Intel adapters), and the impact being restricted to availability only - there is no confidentiality or integrity exposure per the CVSS vector.

The CVSS 4.0 score of 6.9 places this in the medium tier, consistent with a local-only, availability-only impact. The local attack vector (AV:L) is the primary constraint on real-world risk: an attacker must already have code execution on the target host, which significantly narrows the exploitation population compared to network-reachable vulnerabilities. The no-privileges-required metric (PR:N) is the key amplifying factor - any unprivileged user-space process can trigger the condition without needing administrative rights or user interaction, meaning the threshold for exploitation once local access exists is very low. The CVSS 4.0 subsequent-system availability metric (SA:L) hints at potential spillover to dependent processes or virtual environments, though this impact is rated low. EPSS data was not present in the provided intelligence, so automated exploitation probability cannot be quantified. No active exploitation is confirmed: the CVE is absent from CISA KEV and no public proof-of-concept has been observed. In aggregate, this represents a meaningful operational risk for endpoint fleets running Intel WiFi hardware - even a mid-sized municipal IT team in rybnik managing several hundred Intel-equipped laptops should include this in routine patch cycles, though it does not warrant emergency response absent KEV listing or POC emergence.

An attacker with an unprivileged local user session on a Windows system running Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software submits a high volume of crafted resource-exhaustion requests directed at the Ring 2 WiFi device driver. The driver, lacking proper resource bounds enforcement, consumes system memory or CPU resources uncontrollably, causing the WiFi subsystem to become unresponsive and potentially degrading broader system availability. No public proof-of-concept code has been identified at time of analysis.