dbcve.org
Gpu DriverApplication · Nvidia

CVE-2017-6257

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-07-28
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
NVIDIA GPU Display Driver contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer handler where a NULL pointer dereference 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 confidence

NVIDIA GPU Display Driver contains a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the kernel mode layer handler. This kernel-mode flaw can lead to system denial of service (crash) or potentially allow an attacker to escalate privileges due to the high-privilege context of kernel mode execution.

MitigationApply the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver update/patch to address the kernel mode handler vulnerability. Prioritize updates on systems with GPU acceleration or graphical user interfaces.

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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. Detect NVIDIA GPU hardware present
    Check system hardware - on Windows use 'devcon.exe hwids *' or check Device Manager, on Linux use 'lspci | grep -i nvidia' or check /proc/bus/pci
    Affected if NVIDIA GPU hardware is found in the system
  2. Check if NVIDIA display driver is installed
    On Windows check registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\nvlddmkm or check Device Manager for 'NVIDIA GeForce' display adapter, on Linux check lsmod for 'nvidia' module or check /usr/bin/nvidia-smi
    Affected if NVIDIA display driver (nvlddmkm.sys on Windows or nvidia module on Linux) is installed
  3. Verify the kernel mode driver is loaded
    On Windows check Task Manager or 'sc query nvlddmkm' service status, on Linux check 'lsmod | grep nvidia' to confirm the nvidia kernel module is loaded
    Affected if The NVIDIA kernel mode driver is currently loaded in memory

A system is affected if it has any NVIDIA GPU with the display driver installed, since all versions of the driver contain the NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the kernel mode layer handler.

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 GPU Display Driver update/patch to address the kernel mode handler vulnerability. Prioritize updates on systems with GPU acceleration or graphical user interfaces.

Fix this in Gpu Driver Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,920
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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-2017-6257 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
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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