CVE-2021-1055
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, all versions, contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer (nvlddmkm.sys) handler for DxgkDdiEscape in which improper access control may lead to denial of service and information disclosure.
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 confidenceNVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows contains an improper access control vulnerability in the kernel mode layer handler for DxgkDdiEscape (nvlddmkm.sys). This allows local attackers to potentially cause denial of service or obtain unauthorized information disclosure through the display driver interface.
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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
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 driver installationOpen Device Manager, expand 'Display adapters', and check if an NVIDIA GPU is listed. Alternatively, run 'driverquery /v | findstr nvlddmkm' in Command Prompt to check for the kernel driver.Affected if No NVIDIA GPU or driver is present, the system is not affected.
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Retrieve installed NVIDIA driver versionRight-click the NVIDIA GPU in Device Manager, select Properties, go to the Driver tab, and note the Driver Version. Or run 'wmic path win32_VideoController get DriverVersion' in Command Prompt.Affected if Unable to determine driver version, cannot assess vulnerability status.
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Compare against affected version rangesCompare your installed driver version to the following vulnerable ranges: 390.x to 392.62; 418.x to 427.10; 450.x to 452.76; 460.x to 461.08. Note that version numbers follow the format major.minor.build (e.g., 392.63 means version 392.63).Affected if Your 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 kernel mode driver presenceConfirm the vulnerable component nvlddmkm.sys exists in the system. Check C:\Windows\System32\drivers\nvlddmkm.sys or run 'sc query nvlddmkm' to query the driver service status.Affected if The nvlddmkm.sys driver is loaded and your version is in the affected ranges.
You are affected if an NVIDIA GPU display driver is installed and the installed version falls within one of the four vulnerable version ranges specified in the CVE.
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 GPU driver update (patch) when available. Until then, restrict local access to trusted users only and monitor for suspicious driver interactions.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1055 — 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-2021-1055 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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