dbcve.org
Shield ExperienceApplication · Nvidia

CVE-2021-34401

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.0 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 Linux kernel distributions contain a vulnerability in nvmap NVGPU_IOCTL_CHANNEL_SET_ERROR_NOTIFIER, where improper access control may lead to code execution, compromised integrity, or 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's nvmap kernel driver contains an improper access control vulnerability in the NVGPU_IOCTL_CHANNEL_SET_ERROR_NOTIFIER ioctl handler. This allows local attackers with GPU device access to potentially execute code in kernel context, compromise system integrity, or cause denial of service due to missing authorization checks before performing privileged operations.

MitigationApply the NVIDIA Linux kernel driver security update/patch to address the access control flaw. If immediate patching is not possible, consider restricting access to NVIDIA GPU device nodes (/dev/nvidia*) to trusted users only.

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
Shield ExperienceApplication
Affected:< 9.0

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 device and software
    Confirm you are running an Nvidia Shield TV device and note the installed Shield Experience version (found in Settings > About > Version)
    Affected if The Shield Experience version is below 9.0
  2. Confirm NVIDIA GPU kernel driver presence
    On the Shield device or connected Linux environment, check for the nvmap kernel module by running 'lsmod | grep nvmap' or inspecting /proc/modules
    Affected if The nvmap module is loaded and exposed
  3. Verify GPU device node access
    If accessing via ADB or local shell, list permissions on /dev/nvidia* or /dev/nvmap devices (ls -la /dev/nvidia* 2>/dev/null)
    Affected if GPU device nodes are accessible to untrusted users or the system has unrestricted /dev/nvidia* access

You are affected if running Nvidia Shield Experience version below 9.0 with the nvmap kernel driver present and accessible.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 9.0 or later
Fixed in 9.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the NVIDIA Linux kernel driver security update/patch to address the access control flaw. If immediate patching is not possible, consider restricting access to NVIDIA GPU device nodes (/dev/nvidia*) to trusted users only.

Fix this in Shield Experience Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

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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-2021-34401 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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