CVE-2021-1111
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 · uneditedBootloader contains a vulnerability in the NV3P server where any user with physical access through USB can trigger an incorrect bounds check, which may lead to buffer overflow, resulting in limited information disclosure, limited data integrity, and denial of service across all components.
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 confidenceThe NVIDIA bootloader contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in its NV3P (NVIDIA Three-Pin) server protocol. Attackers with physical USB access can trigger an incorrect bounds check, causing a buffer overflow that results in limited information disclosure, limited data integrity, and denial of service across all system components.
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>= 32.1, < 32.6.1CVSS 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
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/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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Identify if the system is NVIDIA Jetson LinuxCheck the product name or model on the device, or run 'cat /proc/device-tree/model' or check '/etc/nv_tegra_release'Affected if The device is not an NVIDIA Jetson product - this CVE only affects Jetson devices
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Check the Jetson Linux versionRun 'cat /etc/nv_tegra_release' or check the kernel version with 'uname -r' and compare against the version number shownAffected if The installed version is 32.1 or higher but lower than 32.6.1
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Determine if physical USB access is possibleInspect USB port accessibility on the device - check if USB debug headers are exposed or USB debugging is enabled in firmware settingsAffected if USB ports are physically accessible or USB debugging is enabled, as the exploit requires physical USB access to trigger the NV3P vulnerability
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Verify NV3P server status in bootloaderCheck bootloader configuration files or logs for NV3P server initialization - this is typically found in the bootloader logs during startup or in the firmware configurationAffected if NV3P server is running in the bootloader, as the buffer overflow exists in this specific protocol component
A user is affected if they have an NVIDIA Jetson Linux device running version 32.1 through 32.6.0 with accessible USB ports and an active NV3P bootloader server.
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.
dbcve · scoped32.6.1
Restrict physical access to USB ports, implement proper bounds checking in the NV3P server code within the bootloader, and deploy updated firmware with corrected bounds validation to affected devices.
Jetson Linux 32.6.1 or later
- Identify the current Jetson Linux version running on the device
- Download Jetson Linux release 32.6.1 or later from the official NVIDIA developer website
- Follow NVIDIA's standard Jetson Linux upgrade procedure to flash the updated bootloader and system image
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the bootloader version after flashing
- Ensure the device boots normally with the updated firmware
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $11,712.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1111 — 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-2021-1111 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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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.
- 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