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Virtual GpuApplication · Nvidia

CVE-2021-1123

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 (vGPU plugin), where it can deadlock, 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 · moderate confidence

NVIDIA vGPU software contains a deadlock vulnerability in the Virtual GPU Manager's vGPU plugin. When triggered, the deadlock causes the virtual GPU functionality to hang, making VMs dependent on vGPU unable to access GPU resources and resulting in denial of service.

MitigationApply the NVIDIA vGPU software update/patch when released. In the interim, implement monitoring for vGPU service availability and have procedures to restart affected vGPU Manager or hypervisor services if deadlock occurs.

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 NVIDIA vGPU software installation
    Locate the NVIDIA Virtual GPU Manager package or driver on the hypervisor host. Common locations include /usr/src/nvidia-vgpu-* or checking the installed packages via package manager (e.g., dpkg, rpm). Look for packages named nvidia-vgpu, vgpu, or similar NVIDIA vGPU components.
    Affected if NVIDIA vGPU software is installed on the system
  2. Determine the Virtual GPU Manager version
    Run the version command for the vGPU Manager driver. On Linux hypervisors, this may be via 'modinfo nvidia_vgpu_vfio' or checking the driver version file. On Windows hypervisors, check the driver properties of the NVIDIA vGPU Manager in Device Manager or via 'nvvgpu' utility if available.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: >= 8.0 and < 8.9, >= 11.0 and < 11.6, >= 12.0 and < 12.4, or >= 13.0 and < 13.1
  3. Verify vGPU plugin is enabled
    Confirm that the vGPU functionality is actually in use. Check the hypervisor configuration for active vGPU allocations - this could be through hypervisor-specific tools (like virsh for KVM, vSphere Client for VMware, or Hyper-V Manager for Windows). Look for VMs configured with vGPU devices.
    Affected if vGPU plugin is enabled and VMs are using vGPU resources
  4. Monitor for deadlock symptoms
    Observe for signs of the deadlock: check if VMs assigned vGPU devices become unresponsive or report GPU access errors. On the hypervisor, monitor for hung vGPU Manager processes or failed GPU resource queries. Look for alerts in hypervisor logs indicating vGPU plugin failures or GPU hang events.
    Affected if VMs with vGPU are experiencing hang, cannot access GPU resources, or vGPU Manager shows hung/failed states

The environment is affected if NVIDIA vGPU software is installed with a version in the affected ranges AND the vGPU plugin is actively in use, as the deadlock will cause VMs to lose GPU access.

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/patch when released. In the interim, implement monitoring for vGPU service availability and have procedures to restart affected vGPU Manager or hypervisor services if deadlock occurs.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to vGPU 8.9 (for 8.x branch), 11.6 (for 11.x branch), 12.4 (for 12.x branch), or 13.1 (for 13.x branch)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed NVIDIA vGPU software version using nvidia-smi or the hypervisor management interface
  2. 2. Determine which version branch your current installation falls into (8.x, 11.x, 12.x, or 13.x)
  3. 3. Download the corresponding fixed vGPU software package from the NVIDIA Licensing Portal or NVIDIA Enterprise Support
  4. 4. Upgrade the Virtual GPU Manager (vGPU plugin) on the hypervisor to the fixed version: 8.9, 11.6, 12.4, or 13.1 depending on your version branch
  5. 5. Reboot the hypervisor host as required for the vGPU Manager update to take effect
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the vGPU plugin version and confirming no deadlock conditions
Caveat Upgrading vGPU software may require VM shutdown; ensure proper VM backup and migration planning before upgrading

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

Fix this in Virtual Gpu Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2021-1123 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