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Virtual GpuApplication · Nvidia

CVE-2021-1118

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.9 / 11.6 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 vGPU software contains a vulnerability in the Virtual GPU Manager (vGPU plugin), where there is the potential to execute privileged operations by the guest OS, which may lead to information disclosure, data tampering, escalation of privileges, and 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 · moderate confidence

NVIDIA vGPU Manager contains a vulnerability allowing guest operating systems to execute privileged operations that should be restricted to the hypervisor or host. This represents a guest-to-host escape or privilege escalation flaw in the virtualization layer, potentially enabling attackers in a virtual machine to compromise the host system.

MitigationApply the NVIDIA vGPU software patch or updated version as specified in NVIDIA's security bulletin. Verify vGPU functionality after applying the update.

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
Virtual GpuApplication
Affected:>= 8.0, < 8.9>= 11.0, < 11.6>= 12.0, < 12.4>= 13.0, < 13.1

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. Identify the hypervisor platform running NVIDIA vGPU
    Determine whether the system runs VMware ESXi, Citrix XenServer, or another supported hypervisor that hosts NVIDIA vGPU. This determines which package manager or command to use for version detection.
    Affected if The hypervisor is one that supports NVIDIA vGPU (ESXi, XenServer, etc.) and has NVIDIA virtual GPU software installed.
  2. Locate the installed NVIDIA vGPU Manager package
    For ESXi: run 'esxcli software vib list | grep -i nvidia' or check /usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod/nvidia*. For XenServer: run 'rpm -qa | grep -i vgpu' or check installed RPM packages. Look for packages named 'NVIDIA-vGPU' or 'nvidia-vgpu-*.
    Affected if An NVIDIA vGPU Manager package is installed on the hypervisor.
  3. Extract the installed vGPU Manager version
    Parse the version number from the package name or VIB listing. Note the full version string (e.g., 8.5, 11.3, 12.2, 13.0).
    Affected if A version number is returned from the package listing.
  4. Compare version against affected ranges
    Check if the installed version falls into any of these ranges: 8.0 <= version < 8.9, OR 11.0 <= version < 11.6, OR 12.0 <= version < 12.4, OR 13.0 <= version < 13.1. Note that versions 8.9+, 11.6+, 12.4+, and 13.1+ are NOT affected.
    Affected if The installed version is within any of the vulnerable ranges listed above.
  5. Confirm vGPU is enabled and guest VMs are using vGPUs
    Check the hypervisor configuration for active vGPU-enabled virtual machines. For ESXi: use 'esxcli nvidia vgpu list' or check VM configuration for vGPU device assignments. For XenServer: check xe vgpu-list or VM GPU type assignments.
    Affected if One or more guest VMs are configured with vGPU passthrough, creating the guest-to-host attack surface.

The environment is affected if the NVIDIA vGPU Manager version installed on the hypervisor falls within 8.0-8.9, 11.0-11.5, 12.0-12.3, or 13.0 and vGPU functionality is actively enabled for guest virtual machines.

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 8.9 / 11.6 / 12.4 or later
Fixed in 8.911.612.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the NVIDIA vGPU software patch or updated version as specified in NVIDIA's security bulletin. Verify vGPU functionality after applying the update.

Recommended fix High confidence

NVIDIA vGPU 8.9, 11.6, 12.4, or 13.1 depending on your current major version branch

  1. Identify the currently installed NVIDIA vGPU software version using nvidia-smi or the vGPU Manager interface
  2. Determine which version branch your current installation belongs to (8.x, 11.x, 12.x, or 13.x)
  3. Download the corresponding fixed release: vGPU 8.9 for 8.x branches, vGPU 11.6 for 11.x branches, vGPU 12.4 for 12.x branches, or vGPU 13.1 for 13.x branches
  4. Schedule a maintenance window as the update requires hypervisor downtime
  5. Backup current vGPU configuration and virtual machine state
  6. Install the updated Virtual GPU Manager (vGPU plugin) on the hypervisor following NVIDIA's standard vGPU deployment documentation
  7. Reboot hypervisor hosts as required by the vGPU Manager installation
  8. Verify the new vGPU Manager version is loaded correctly
Caveat Review NVIDIA vGPU release notes for any hypervisor version compatibility changes or driver behavioral changes between your current and target version

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

Fix this in Virtual Gpu Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $5,940
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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-2021-1118 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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