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Virtual GpuApplication · Nvidia

CVE-2021-1121

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.9 / 11.6 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 kernel driver, where a vGPU can cause resource starvation among other vGPUs hosted on the same GPU, which may lead to 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 · high confidence

NVIDIA vGPU software contains a vulnerability in the Virtual GPU Manager kernel driver where a malicious or misbehaving vGPU can cause resource starvation among other vGPUs hosted on the same physical GPU, leading to denial of service for affected virtual machines.

MitigationApply the NVIDIA vGPU software update containing the driver fix. Implement resource quota limits on vGPUs and monitor for anomalous resource consumption patterns until the patch is applied.

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 Virtual GPU Manager version
    On the hypervisor host (VMware ESXi, Citrix XenServer, or Microsoft Hyper-V), run `nvidia-smi` or check the NVIDIA driver package version. For ESXi, you can also run `esxcli software vib list | grep nvidia`
    Affected if The installed version falls within these ranges: >= 8.0 and < 8.9, OR >= 11.0 and < 11.6, OR >= 12.0 and < 12.4, OR >= 13.0 and < 13.1
  2. Confirm multiple vGPUs share a physical GPU
    Run `nvidia-smi -q` or `nvidia-smi -L` to list all vGPUs and their associated physical GPUs. Check if more than one vGPU is assigned to the same pGPU (physical GPU)
    Affected if Two or more vGPUs are hosted on the same physical GPU, creating the conditions for resource starvation to affect other VMs
  3. Check for resource quota configuration on vGPUs
    Review vGPU configuration settings in the hypervisor (for ESXi, check VM settings for vGPU profile; for XenServer, check XenCenter vGPU settings). Look for configured vGPU profiles and any resource limit settings
    Affected if vGPUs are configured without resource quota limits, meaning a misbehaving vGPU can freely consume shared GPU resources

You are affected if the Virtual GPU Manager version is within any of the vulnerable ranges AND multiple vGPUs share the same physical GPU without resource quota protections in place.

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 update containing the driver fix. Implement resource quota limits on vGPUs and monitor for anomalous resource consumption patterns until the patch is applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

14.0 or later (or minimum fixed version 8.9/11.6/12.4/13.1 depending on current branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current NVIDIA vGPU software version installed using nvidia-smi or the vGPU Manager
  2. 2. Determine which version branch (8.x, 11.x, 12.x, or 13.x) is currently in use
  3. 3. Download the latest NVIDIA vGPU software package from the NVIDIA licensing portal or official download channel
  4. 4. Upgrade the Virtual GPU Manager kernel driver to version 8.9 or later (for 8.x branch), 11.6 or later (for 11.x branch), 12.4 or later (for 12.x branch), or 13.1 or later (for 13.x branch)
  5. 5. Alternatively, upgrade to version 14.0 or later for the most recent fixes
  6. 6. Reboot the hypervisor host to apply the updated vGPU driver
  7. 7. Verify the new version is loaded correctly and that vGPU instances are functioning properly
Caveat Major version upgrades may require vGPU license reconfiguration; verify compatibility with hypervisor version before upgrading

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

Fix this in Virtual Gpu Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2021-1121 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