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Gpu DriverApplication · Nvidia

CVE-2017-6267

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-09-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 an incorrect initialization of internal objects can cause an infinite loop which may lead to a denial of service.

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 · moderate confidence

NVIDIA GPU Display Driver contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer handler where incorrect initialization of internal objects can cause an infinite loop, leading to a denial of service (system hang).

MitigationUpdate the NVIDIA GPU display driver to a patched version that addresses this kernel mode handler vulnerability.

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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. Check if NVIDIA GPU driver is installed
    Run 'nvidia-smi' in command line or check Device Manager on Windows. On Linux, run 'lsmod | grep nvidia' or check /proc/driver/nvidia/version
    Affected if No NVIDIA driver is found - the system is not using NVIDIA graphics and is not affected. If driver is present, proceed to next check.
  2. Identify the installed NVIDIA driver version
    Run 'nvidia-smi' and look for the 'Driver Version' field. On Windows, also check the 'Driver Version' property in Device Manager under the NVIDIA GPU. On Linux, check 'cat /proc/driver/nvidia/version'
    Affected if Any installed driver version could be affected since the CVE states all versions are vulnerable. The presence of any NVIDIA driver version means the system could be impacted by the kernel mode handler vulnerability.
  3. Verify the kernel mode layer driver is loaded and active
    On Windows, check that 'nvlddmkm.sys' is loaded via 'sc query nvlddmkm' or in Device Manager driver details. On Linux, verify the nvidia kernel module is loaded via 'lsmod | grep nvidia' and check 'dmesg' for NVIDIA initialization messages
    Affected if The kernel mode layer (nvlddmkm on Windows, nvidia kernel module on Linux) must be loaded for the vulnerability to be exploitable. If the driver is installed but the kernel mode component is not loaded/active, the immediate risk is lower.
  4. Confirm GPU is in use as display device
    Check if the NVIDIA GPU is the primary display adapter in use. On Windows, verify in Display Settings or Device Manager that the NVIDIA GPU shows as 'This device is working properly'. On Linux, check 'xrandr' or 'glxinfo' to confirm the NVIDIA driver is handling display output
    Affected if The vulnerability is in the display driver kernel mode handler. If the NVIDIA driver is installed but not actively handling display output (e.g., using hybrid graphics with Intel/AMD as primary), the attack surface is reduced but not eliminated.

Any system with an installed NVIDIA GPU display driver that has the kernel mode layer loaded and is actively driving display output is potentially affected by this infinite loop denial of service vulnerability.

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

Update the NVIDIA GPU display driver to a patched version that addresses this kernel mode handler vulnerability.

Fix this in Gpu Driver Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
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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-2017-6267 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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