CVE-2021-1070
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 Jetson AGX Xavier Series, Jetson Xavier NX, TX1, TX2, Nano and Nano 2GB, L4T versions prior to 32.5, contains a vulnerability in the apply_binaries.sh script used to install NVIDIA components into the root file system image, in which improper access control is applied, which may lead to an unprivileged user being able to modify system device tree files, leading to 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 · high confidenceThis vulnerability exists in the apply_binaries.sh script used during NVIDIA Jetson system image setup. The script, which deploys NVIDIA components into the root filesystem, has improper access control that permits unprivileged users to modify critical device tree files. Device trees define hardware configuration, so unauthorized modification can cause system instability or denial of service.
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< r32.5CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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 the installed L4T versionRun 'cat /etc/nv_tegra_release' or 'head -n 1 /etc/nv_tegra_release' to display the L4T revision numberAffected if The version shown is earlier than r32.5 (for example, r32.4 or earlier)
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Locate the apply_binaries.sh scriptSearch for the script in common locations such as '/root/apply_binaries.sh' or within the NVIDIA JetPack/L4T toolkit directoryAffected if The script exists on the system and originates from an L4T version earlier than r32.5
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Inspect script file permissionsRun 'ls -la' on the apply_binaries.sh script to view owner, group, and permission bitsAffected if The script or the device tree files it deploys are writable by non-root users (for example, permissions show 'w' for group or others, or ownership is not root:root)
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Verify device tree file permissionsLocate device tree files in the root filesystem (commonly in /boot or within the rootfs partition) and run 'ls -la' on themAffected if Device tree files (.dtb files) are owned by a non-root user or have world-writable permissions
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Check for recent modification timestampsRun 'stat' on device tree files to see modification times, and compare with expected deployment timesAffected if Device tree files have been modified after the initial system image setup, suggesting unauthorized changes
A system is affected if it runs NVIDIA Linux For Tegra versions earlier than r32.5 and contains the apply_binaries.sh script with improperly secured permissions on device tree files.
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 dataUpgrade L4T to version 32.5 or later, which contains the corrected apply_binaries.sh script with proper access controls. Verify device tree integrity after upgrade.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1070 — 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-2021-1070 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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