CVE-2021-0164 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi drivers across multiple operating systems and Killer(TM) Wi-Fi drivers specifically on Windows 10 and 11. The root cause is improper access control in the firmware component of these wireless drivers. This flaw allows an unauthenticated local attacker—meaning the attacker must have local access to the machine but does not require prior authentication—to escalate privileges. The escalation of privilege could enable the attacker to gain elevated system rights, potentially leading to full control over the affected system. The CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8 reflects the significant impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with the vector indicating low attack complexity and no user interaction required. The vulnerability is exploitable locally, requiring the attacker to have some form of local access, such as physical access or remote access through another compromised account or service. The affected components are widely used wireless drivers integral to network connectivity on many Windows 10 and 11 systems, as well as other operating systems using Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi drivers. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the potential for exploitation exists given the critical nature of the flaw and the widespread deployment of the affected drivers. The vulnerability could be leveraged to bypass security controls, install persistent malware, or disrupt system operations by compromising wireless driver firmware access controls.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk due to the widespread use of Intel wireless hardware and Killer Wi-Fi adapters in enterprise and consumer devices. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to escalate privileges on endpoint devices, leading to unauthorized access to sensitive corporate data, disruption of network communications, and potential lateral movement within corporate networks. This is particularly concerning for sectors with stringent data protection requirements such as finance, healthcare, and government agencies within Europe. The ability to escalate privileges without authentication increases the threat level, especially in environments where endpoint security is critical. Additionally, compromised wireless drivers could undermine network security controls and monitoring, making detection and mitigation more difficult. The vulnerability could also impact remote work scenarios prevalent in Europe, where employees use laptops with these wireless drivers, increasing the attack surface. Given the high severity and potential for significant confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts, European organizations must prioritize addressing this vulnerability to maintain compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR and to safeguard critical infrastructure.

To mitigate CVE-2021-0164 effectively, European organizations should: 1) Immediately identify all devices using Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi and Killer Wi-Fi drivers on Windows 10 and 11, as well as other affected operating systems. 2) Apply the latest firmware and driver updates provided by Intel and device manufacturers as soon as they become available, ensuring that all wireless drivers are patched to versions that address this vulnerability. 3) Implement strict local access controls and endpoint security measures to limit unauthorized physical or remote local access to devices, including enforcing strong authentication and session management policies. 4) Monitor endpoint devices for unusual privilege escalation attempts or abnormal wireless driver behavior using advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools. 5) Educate IT and security teams about the vulnerability to ensure rapid response and remediation. 6) Where possible, restrict the use of vulnerable wireless hardware in high-security environments until patches are applied. 7) Incorporate this vulnerability into vulnerability management and patch management workflows to ensure ongoing compliance and risk reduction. 8) Consider network segmentation and zero-trust principles to limit the impact of any potential compromise stemming from this vulnerability.