CVE-2021-1098
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 vGPU software contains a vulnerability in the Virtual GPU Manager (vGPU plugin), where it doesn't release some resources during driver unload requests from guests. This flaw allows a malicious guest to perform operations by reusing those resources, which may lead to information disclosure, data tampering, or denial of service. This affects vGPU version 12.x (prior to 12.3), version 11.x (prior to 11.5) and version 8.x (prior 8.8).
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 vGPU Manager (vGPU plugin) fails to properly release certain resources when guest VMs request driver unload. A malicious guest can then reuse these unreleased resources to perform unauthorized operations, potentially leading to information disclosure, data tampering, 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>= 8.0, < 8.8>= 11.0, < 11.5>= 12.0, < 12.3CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm NVIDIA vGPU software is presentIdentify whether NVIDIA vGPU Manager (vGPU plugin) is installed on the hypervisor. Check for nvidia-vgpu software packages or the nvidia-vgpu-mgr service on the virtualization host (VMware vSphere, Citrix XenServer, or similar platforms).Affected if If NVIDIA vGPU software is not installed, the system is not affected by this CVE
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Identify the installed vGPU Manager versionRetrieve the version of the NVIDIA vGPU Manager or vGPU plugin using platform-specific commands: for VMware ESXi run 'esxcli software vib list | grep nvidia' or check the vCenter vGPU plugin details; for Linux check installed nvidia-vgpu packages with the package manager; for Citrix check XenCenter plugin information.Affected if If the version falls within any of these ranges: >= 8.0 and < 8.8, or >= 11.0 and < 11.5, or >= 12.0 and < 12.3, the system is vulnerable
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Verify guest VM driver unload behaviorIn virtual environments where vGPU is assigned to guest VMs, confirm whether guest VMs can trigger driver unload requests. This vulnerability is triggered when a guest VM requests driver unload and the vGPU Manager does not properly release resources.Affected if If guest VMs with vGPU passthrough can request driver unload and the vGPU Manager version is in an affected range, the vulnerability is present
A system is affected if NVIDIA vGPU Manager is installed and its version is 8.0 through 8.7.x, 11.0 through 11.4.x, or 12.0 through 12.2.x.
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 data8.811.512.3
Upgrade NVIDIA vGPU software to version 12.3, 11.5, or 8.8 (or later) to obtain the vendor patch that properly releases resources during driver unload.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1098 — 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-2021-1098 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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