CVE-2025-20039
📋 TL;DR
A race condition vulnerability in Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software for Windows allows unauthenticated attackers on the same network to potentially cause denial of service. This affects users with vulnerable Intel wireless adapters running Windows. The attack requires adjacent network access, not internet access.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software for Windows
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete disruption of WiFi connectivity on affected systems, requiring system restart to recover network functionality.
Likely Case
Intermittent WiFi disconnections or degraded wireless performance for targeted devices.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact if patched or if network segmentation prevents adjacent access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Race conditions require precise timing and adjacent network access, making exploitation moderately complex.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 23.100 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-01270.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software version 23.100 or later from Intel's website
2. Run the installer with administrative privileges
3. Follow on-screen instructions
4. Restart the system when prompted
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable WiFi temporarily
windowsTurn off wireless connectivity to prevent exploitation
netsh interface set interface "Wi-Fi" admin=disable
Network segmentation
allIsolate vulnerable systems from untrusted networks
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate vulnerable systems from potential attackers
- Monitor for unusual WiFi disconnection patterns and investigate adjacent network activity
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software version in Control Panel > Programs and FeaturesCheck Version:
wmic product where "name like 'Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless%'" get versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify installed version is 23.100 or later in Programs and Features📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple unexpected WiFi disconnection events in Windows Event Logs (Event ID 8003, 1014)
- Intel Wireless driver crash logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual broadcast/multicast traffic patterns targeting WiFi management frames
- ARP spoofing or other adjacent network attacks
SIEM Query:
source="windows" AND (event_id=8003 OR event_id=1014) AND message="*wireless*" OR "*wifi*"