CVE-2023-33875

What it actually does

The flaw permits an unauthenticated local process to bypass access controls in the Intel wireless driver or service, resulting in denial of service that disrupts Wi-Fi functionality.

Why it matters to the business

Wireless network connectivity can be interrupted on affected systems, causing operational downtime for users and devices that rely on Intel wireless adapters.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with local access to a system running vulnerable Intel PROSet/Wireless or Killer Wi-Fi software interacts with the exposed driver interfaces to trigger the improper access control check, causing the wireless stack to fail and denying service to legitimate users.

How to fix it

Upgrade Intel PROSet/Wireless and Intel Killer Wi-Fi software to version 22.240 or later. Remove or disable the affected wireless components if updates cannot be applied promptly.

How to confirm the fix worked

Inspect installed driver and software versions against the vendor advisory; confirm the presence of updated binaries and restart the wireless service to verify the access control enforcement.

Typical attack path

1. Obtain local execution context on a target system with vulnerable Intel wireless software installed
2. Locate and interact with the wireless service or driver interfaces exposed to unprivileged processes
3. Invoke operations that the flawed access control logic fails to restrict
4. Trigger repeated or crafted requests that force the wireless stack into a failed state

How to detect it

Review system and application event logs for wireless driver or service crashes, unexpected restarts, or error entries generated around the time of reported connectivity loss; correlate with user session activity indicating local access.

What your security team should do

• Prioritize patching systems that expose wireless interfaces to multiple users or untrusted local accounts
• Inventory endpoints for affected Intel wireless software versions and schedule updates
• Monitor vendor release channels for any follow-on patches or additional affected SKUs