CVE-2017-0345
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 · uneditedAll versions of the NVIDIA Windows GPU Display Driver contain a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer (nvlddmkm.sys) handler for DxgDdiEscape where user provided input used as an array size is not correctly validated allows out of bound access in kernel memory and may lead to denial of service or potential 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 confidenceAll versions of the NVIDIA Windows GPU Display Driver contain an input validation vulnerability in the kernel mode layer handler for DxgDdiEscape (nvlddmkm.sys). User-supplied input is used as an array size without proper validation, allowing out-of-bounds memory access in kernel space which can lead to denial of service or local privilege escalation.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify NVIDIA GPU hardware presentCheck Device Manager for NVIDIA GPU under 'Display adapters', or run 'nvidia-smi' from command line if NVIDIA tools are installedAffected if No NVIDIA GPU found means the system is not affected by this driver vulnerability
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Check NVIDIA driver versionRun 'nvidia-smi' and note the Driver Version field, or right-click the NVIDIA GPU in Device Manager, select Properties, then the Driver tab to view the driver versionAffected if Any installed NVIDIA Windows GPU display driver version indicates potential exposure since all versions are affected per the CVE
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Verify vulnerable kernel driver component existsCheck if nvlddmkm.sys exists in the system: open File Explorer to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\nvlddmkm.sys, or run 'dir C:\Windows\System32\drivers\nvlddmkm.sys'Affected if Presence of nvlddmkm.sys confirms the vulnerable driver component is installed and loaded
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Confirm driver is actively runningOpen Task Manager, go to Services tab, look for NTDS (NVIDIA Display Service) or check driver loading status via 'sc query nvlddmkm' in elevated command promptAffected if If the NVIDIA display driver service is active or the driver is loaded, the DxgDdiEscape handler vulnerability is reachable
If an NVIDIA GPU is present with the nvlddmkm.sys driver installed and running, the system is affected since all versions of the NVIDIA Windows GPU Display Driver contain the input validation flaw in the DxgDdiEscape handler.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpdate the NVIDIA display driver to a patched version that properly validates array sizes in the DxgDdiEscape handler. This is a driver-level fix requiring vendor-supplied patched binaries.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-0345 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-0345 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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