dbcve.org
Jetson LinuxOperating system · Nvidia

CVE-2021-1106

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.0 / 32.6.1 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 Linux kernel distributions contain a vulnerability in nvmap, where writes may be allowed to read-only buffers, which may result in escalation of privileges, complete denial of service, unconstrained information disclosure, and serious data tampering of all processes on the system.

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 Linux kernel driver vulnerability in the nvmap component allows writes to read-only memory buffers, which can be exploited to achieve privilege escalation, cause denial of service, or enable unauthorized information disclosure and data tampering across all system processes.

MitigationApply the NVIDIA driver update/patch that fixes the nvmap memory protection flaw; review systems running affected NVIDIA kernel modules and schedule driver updates as a high-priority security patch.

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
Jetson LinuxOperating system
Affected:>= 32.1, < 32.6.1
Shield ExperienceApplication
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. Verify if the nvmap kernel module is loaded
    Run `lsmod | grep nvmap` or `cat /proc/modules | grep nvmap` to list loaded NVIDIA memory mapping modules
    Affected if The nvmap module appears in the loaded module list, indicating the vulnerable component is active
  2. Determine Jetson Linux version on NVIDIA hardware
    Check the file `/etc/nv_tegra_release` which contains the L4T (Linux for Tegra) version number
    Affected if The reported version is >= 32.1 and < 32.6.1, placing it within the affected range
  3. Check running kernel version on Jetson devices
    Run `uname -r` to identify the kernel version, then cross-reference with Jetson L4T release notes to confirm the base version
    Affected if The kernel corresponds to an L4T release between 32.1 and 32.6.1 (exclusive of 32.6.1)
  4. Identify NVIDIA Shield device and software version
    On NVIDIA Shield devices, check Settings > About Device for the Android/SHIELD Experience version number
    Affected if The Shield Experience version is below 9.0
  5. Confirm presence of nvmap interface
    Check for the existence of `/dev/nvmap` device node via `ls -la /dev/nvmap` or query system device listings
    Affected if The `/dev/nvmap` device exists and is accessible, confirming the nvmap component is exposed to user space

A system is affected if it runs Jetson Linux 32.1 through 32.6.0 or Shield Experience below 9.0 and has the nvmap kernel module loaded or the nvmap device node present.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 9.0 / 32.6.1 or later
Fixed in 9.032.6.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the NVIDIA driver update/patch that fixes the nvmap memory protection flaw; review systems running affected NVIDIA kernel modules and schedule driver updates as a high-priority security patch.

Recommended fix High confidence

Jetson Linux 32.6.1 or later; Shield Experience 9.0 or later

  1. Identify the current Jetson Linux version using 'cat /etc/nv_tegra_release' or 'lsb_release -a'
  2. For Jetson Linux: Upgrade to version 32.6.1 or later by following NVIDIA's Jetson Linux upgrade documentation
  3. For Shield Experience: Update to version 9.0 or later through the NVIDIA Shield system update mechanism
  4. After upgrade, verify the nvmap component is updated by checking the kernel version and nvmap module details
  5. Reboot the device to ensure the new kernel and nvmap components are loaded

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Jetson Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
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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-2021-1106 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