CVE-2018-6248
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 · uneditedNVIDIA Windows GPU Display Driver contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer handler for DxgkDdiEscape where the software uses a sequential operation to read or write a buffer, but it uses an incorrect length value that causes it to access memory that is outside of the bounds of the buffer which may lead to denial of service or possible 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 confidenceNVIDIA Windows GPU Display Driver contains an out-of-bounds memory access vulnerability in the kernel-mode handler for DxgkDdiEscape. The function uses an incorrect length value when performing sequential read/write operations on a buffer, causing memory access outside buffer bounds. As this occurs in kernel mode, it may 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm NVIDIA GPU driver is installedOpen Device Manager, expand 'Display adapters', and check for NVIDIA GPU entries. Alternatively, open NVIDIA Control Panel or run 'nvidia-smi' from command line.Affected if No NVIDIA GPU driver is found, the system is not affected by this specific vulnerability.
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Identify the NVIDIA driver versionIn Device Manager, right-click the NVIDIA GPU, select Properties, go to the Driver tab, and note the Driver Version. Or run 'nvidia-smi --query-gpu=driver_version --format=csv,noheader'.Affected if All versions are affected; if the driver is installed, the system may be vulnerable unless a security-patched version has been applied.
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Verify the DxgkDdiEscape kernel interface is accessibleCheck that the NVIDIA display driver is actively loaded by examining running kernel drivers (e.g., using 'driverquery' or checking NT Kernel logs for nvlddmkm.sys activity).Affected if The vulnerable kernel-mode handler (DxgkDdiEscape) is in use whenever the NVIDIA display driver is loaded and running.
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Determine if unprivileged local users have accessReview system permissions to confirm whether standard (non-admin) users can execute code or access the GPU driver interface locally.Affected if If unprivileged users can access the system locally, the privilege escalation vector applies and the system is at higher risk.
A system is affected if it runs any version of the NVIDIA Windows GPU Display Driver with the DxgkDdiEscape kernel interface active, particularly when unprivileged local users have access.
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 Windows GPU Display Driver to a version that includes the security fix. Prioritize updates on systems where unprivileged users have local access, given the potential for privilege escalation.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-6248 — 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-2018-6248 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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