Gpu DriverApplication · Nvidia

CVE-2017-0314

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-02-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
All versions of NVIDIA Windows GPU Display Driver contain a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer (nvlddmkm.sys) implementation of the SubmitCommandVirtual DDI (DxgkDdiSubmitCommandVirtual) where untrusted input is used to reference memory outside of the intended boundary of the buffer leading to denial of service or escalation of privileges.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

This is a memory safety vulnerability in NVIDIA's Windows GPU display driver kernel-mode component (nvlddmkm.sys). The DxgkDdiSubmitCommandVirtual function fails to validate untrusted input before using it to calculate memory addresses, allowing out-of-bounds memory access. This kernel-level flaw can be exploited for denial of service or privilege escalation.

MitigationApply the NVIDIA vendor patch by updating the Windows GPU Display Driver to a patched version. In enterprise environments, test driver updates for compatibility with GPU-dependent applications before broad deployment.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Gpu DriverApplication
Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify NVIDIA GPU hardware in system
    Open Device Manager, expand 'Display adapters', and look for any NVIDIA GPU (e.g., NVIDIA GeForce, Quadro, Tesla series). Alternatively, run 'wmic path win32_VideoController get name' in Command Prompt.
    Affected if An NVIDIA GPU is present in the system.
  2. Retrieve NVIDIA display driver version
    Right-click the NVIDIA GPU in Device Manager, select Properties, go to the Driver tab, and note the Driver Version field. Alternatively, check C:\Windows\System32\drivers\nvlddmkm.sys properties, Details tab, File Version.
    Affected if The driver version shown is unpatched (prior to NVIDIA's security advisory fix released in early 2017).
  3. Verify vulnerable kernel driver is loaded
    Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run 'sc query nvlddmkm' to query the NVIDIA display driver service status, or run 'driverquery /v | findstr nvlddmkm' to list driver details.
    Affected if The nvlddmkm.sys driver is loaded and running.
  4. Confirm DxgkDdiSubmitCommandVirtual function exposure
    This function is part of the Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) interface. Verify the GPU is operating in WDDM mode by checking Device Manager > NVIDIA GPU > Properties > Driver tab for 'WDDM' mention, or inspect driver stack via 'dxdiag' > Display tab.
    Affected if The GPU uses WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model), which enables the vulnerable code path.

A system is affected if it contains an NVIDIA GPU with an unpatched display driver where the nvlddmkm.sys kernel driver is loaded and the WDDM interface is active, allowing the DxgkDniSubmitCommandVirtual function to be reachable.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the NVIDIA vendor patch by updating the Windows GPU Display Driver to a patched version. In enterprise environments, test driver updates for compatibility with GPU-dependent applications before broad deployment.

Fix this in Gpu Driver Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-0314 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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