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Gpu Display DriverApplication · Nvidia

CVE-2021-1076

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-04-21
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 390.143 / 418.197.02 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 for Windows and Linux, all versions, contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer (nvlddmkm.sys or nvidia.ko) where improper access control may lead to denial of service, information disclosure, or data corruption.

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 an improper access control vulnerability in the kernel mode layer (nvlddmkm.sys on Windows, nvidia.ko on Linux). This flaw may allow local attackers to cause denial of service, information disclosure, or data corruption by exploiting insufficient access controls in the kernel-mode driver component.

MitigationApply security updates or patched versions of the NVIDIA GPU driver when released; until then, restrict local access to trusted users only and monitor for unusual driver behavior.

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 Display DriverApplication
Affected:>= 390, < 390.143>= 418, < 418.197.02>= 418, < 427.33>= 450, < 450.119.03>= 450, < 452.96>= 460, < 460.73.01>= 460, < 462.31>= 465, < 465.24.02>= 465, < 466.11
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 9.0

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm NVIDIA GPU driver is installed
    On Linux, run 'lsmod | grep nvidia' or 'nvidia-smi --query-gpu=driver_version --format=csv,noheader'. On Windows, check Device Manager for 'NVIDIA GPU' under Display adapters or run 'nvidia-smi' from the NVIDIA bin directory.
    Affected if No NVIDIA driver is installed, this CVE does not apply.
  2. Identify installed driver version
    On Linux, run 'cat /proc/driver/nvidia/version' or 'nvidia-smi | grep Driver'. On Windows, right-click nvlddmkm.sys in C:\Windows\System32\drivers, select Properties, then view Version tab.
    Affected if The driver version cannot be determined, continue to verify through other means.
  3. Verify kernel mode driver is loaded
    On Linux, confirm nvidia.ko is loaded via 'lsmod | grep nvidia'. On Windows, verify nvlddmkmkm.sys is running via 'sc query nvlddmkm' or Device Manager status.
    Affected if The kernel mode driver (nvidia.ko or nvlddmkm.sys) is not loaded, the specific vulnerability path may not be active.
  4. Compare version against affected ranges
    Check if the installed version falls within: 390.x to 390.142.x, 418.x to 418.197.01, 450.x to 450.119.02, 460.x to 460.73.00, 465.x to 465.24.01, or any version before 427.33 (for 418/420/430 branch), 452.96, or 466.11.
    Affected if Installed version matches any of the affected ranges listed in the CVE.

You are affected if an NVIDIA GPU driver is installed with a version matching one of the specified ranges AND the kernel mode driver (nvidia.ko on Linux or nvlddmkm.sys on Windows) is loaded.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 390.143 / 418.197.02 / 427.33 or later
Fixed in 390.143418.197.02427.33
Interim mitigation

Apply security updates or patched versions of the NVIDIA GPU driver when released; until then, restrict local access to trusted users only and monitor for unusual driver behavior.

Fix this in Gpu Display Driver Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-1076 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data