CVE-2021-34385
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 where an integer overflow in the calculation of a length could lead to a heap overflow.
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 vulnerability exists in NVIDIA's Trusty TLK (Trusted Little Kernel), a trusted execution environment operating system. An integer overflow in length calculation leads to heap overflow, allowing memory corruption in the trusted kernel. This could potentially allow privilege escalation or code execution within the trusted environment.
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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 NVIDIA Jetson platformCheck if the system is an NVIDIA Jetson device by examining /proc/device-tree/model or running 'cat /sys/firmware/devicetree/base/model'Affected if The system is not an NVIDIA Jetson platform (this CVE only affects Jetson devices)
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Determine Jetson Linux versionRun 'cat /etc/nv_tegra_release' or check 'jetpack' version via 'dpkg -l | grep -i jetpack'Affected if The installed Jetson Linux version is earlier than 32.5.1 (versions < 32.5.1 are affected)
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Confirm Trusty TEE is activeCheck if Trusty TEE is enabled by examining tee subsystem: 'ls /dev/tee*' or check tee supplicant status via 'getprop | grep -i trusty' on Android-based Jetson, or review TEE configuration in /boot/extlinux/extlinux.confAffected if Trusty TEE is actively running and version is vulnerable (< 32.5.1)
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Review TEE client applicationsIdentify applications using TEE by reviewing /etc/tee-supplicant.conf or checking for tee-client libraries in use: 'ls /usr/lib/*tee*' 2>/dev/nullAffected if Applications utilizing Trusty TEE are present on a vulnerable version
A system is affected if it runs NVIDIA Jetson Linux version earlier than 32.5.1 with Trusty TEE enabled and actively in use.
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
Update NVIDIA Trusty TLK to a patched version that properly validates length calculations and prevents integer overflows. If no patch available, consider disabling affected Trusty TEE features or ensure no untrusted applications can trigger the vulnerable code path.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-34385 — 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-2021-34385 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
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