CVE-2021-1051
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 GPU Display Driver for Windows contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer (nvlddmkm.sys) handler for DxgkDdiEscape in which a local user can get elevated privileges to modify display configuration data, which may result in denial of service of the display.
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 GPU Display Driver for Windows contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the kernel mode layer (nvlddmkm.sys) handler for DxgkDdiEscape. A local user can exploit this to gain elevated privileges and modify display configuration data, potentially causing denial of service of the display.
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>= 390, < 392.63>= 418, < 427.11>= 450, < 452.77>= 460, < 461.09CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/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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Check if NVIDIA GPU driver is installedOpen Device Manager, expand 'Display adapters', and look for NVIDIA GPU entries. Alternatively, check for the presence of C:\Windows\System32\nvlddmkm.sys or search for NVIDIA Control Panel.Affected if No NVIDIA GPU driver or nvlddmkm.sys driver file is found on the system.
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Determine installed NVIDIA driver version via Device ManagerIn Device Manager, right-click the NVIDIA GPU, select Properties, go to the Driver tab, and note the Driver Version field. Format is typically like 460.XX.XX.Affected if Driver version cannot be determined or the driver file does not exist.
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Compare version against affected rangesCompare the installed driver version to these ranges: 390 to 392.62; 418 to 427.10; 450 to 452.76; 460 to 461.08. For example, 460.72 would be vulnerable (460 <= 460.72 < 461.09).Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: >= 390 and < 392.63, or >= 418 and < 427.11, or >= 450 and < 452.77, or >= 460 and < 461.09.
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Verify the vulnerable driver component existsCheck for the presence of nvlddmkm.sys in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\ or via registry at HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\nvlddmkm. The driver must be loaded for the vulnerability to be exploitable.Affected if The nvlddmkm.sys driver is present and loaded on the system.
A system is affected if it runs any NVIDIA GPU driver version within the ranges 390-392.62, 418-427.10, 450-452.76, or 460-461.08, with the vulnerable nvlddmkm.sys driver loaded.
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 data392.63427.11452.77
Apply the NVIDIA-provided security patch/update for the GPU Display Driver to the affected Windows systems. This updates the vulnerable kernel-mode driver (nvlddmkm.sys).
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1051 — 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-2021-1051 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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