CVE-2021-34381
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 · uneditedTrusty TLK contains a vulnerability in the NVIDIA TLK kernel function where a lack of checks allows the exploitation of an integer overflow on the size parameter of the tz_map_shared_mem function, which might lead to denial of service, information disclosure, or data tampering.
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 confidenceThis is an integer overflow vulnerability in NVIDIA's Trusted Little Kernel (TLK) where the tz_map_shared_mem function lacks proper validation of the size parameter. The missing bounds check allows an integer overflow on the size parameter to be exploited, potentially leading to denial of service, information disclosure, or data tampering.
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< 32.5.1CVSS 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if the system is a NVIDIA Jetson deviceCheck system information such as /proc/cpuinfo, device tree, or NVIDIA-specific identification methodsAffected if System is not a Jetson device - the CVE does not apply
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Determine the Jetson Linux versionCheck the installed Jetson Linux or L4T version using system files or NVIDIA tools (e.g., cat /proc/version or NVIDIA version utilities)Affected if Version is 32.5.1 or higher - the vulnerability is patched in this and later versions
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Confirm Trusted Little Kernel (TLK) is presentVerify that the system uses NVIDIA's TLK as its Trusted Execution EnvironmentAffected if TLK is not present or not in use - the specific vulnerable code path is not exercised
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Check if the tz_map_shared_mem function is invokedInspect TEE session logs or monitor for calls to the tz_map_shared_mem function within the TLK subsystemAffected if The function is never called - the vulnerability is not reachable in this configuration
A system is affected if it is a Jetson Linux device running a version below 32.5.1 that utilizes TLK and exercises the tz_map_shared_mem function with user-controlled size parameters.
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.
From vendor data32.5.1
Apply the NVIDIA-provided patch for TLK which adds proper size parameter validation in the tz_map_shared_mem function, and update to the latest Trusty TEE version as specified in NVIDIA's security advisory.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-34381 — 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-2021-34381 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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- 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
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