CVE-2026-20905

Local denial of service via improper input validation

Published May 12, 2026 · Updated May 12, 2026

Improper input validation in Intel QAT drivers for Windows before 2.6 allows local users to interrupt service through Ring 3 applications. Intel identifies the affected locus only as Ring 3 user applications and has not disclosed which input is accepted without adequate validation. A low-privilege authenticated local user needs no interaction or special internal knowledge; Intel does not disclose whether the denial of service causes a hang, crash, or reboot.

CVSS severity6.9
Medium
EPSS probability0.10%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper input validation in Intel QAT drivers for Windows before 2.6 allows local users to interrupt service through Ring 3 applications. Intel identifies the affected locus only as Ring 3 user applications and has not disclosed which input is accepted without adequate validation. A low-privilege authenticated local user needs no interaction or special internal knowledge; Intel does not disclose whether the denial of service causes a hang, crash, or reboot.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-20905
Published
May 12, 2026
Updated
May 12, 2026
Vendor
Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.
Product
Intel QuickAssist Technology (Intel QAT) Driver for Windows
Classifications
CWE-20, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 12, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 12, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=before version 2.6

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc. · Intel QuickAssist Technology (Intel QAT) Driver for Windowsversion=before version 2.6

Published CVSS scores

6.6NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H
6.9Intel CorporationCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-20Improper Input Validation
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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