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Cloud Gaming Virtual GpuApplication · Nvidia

CVE-2022-21816

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-02-07
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.10 / 11.7 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 (nvidia.ko), where a user in the guest OS can cause a GPU interrupt storm on the hypervisor host, leading to a 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 Manager kernel module (nvidia.ko) contains a vulnerability where a guest OS user can trigger excessive GPU interrupts that propagate to the hypervisor host, causing an interrupt storm and resulting in denial of service.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch for NVIDIA vGPU software as specified in the NVIDIA security bulletin; ensure guest VM users cannot trigger uncontrolled GPU interrupt generation.

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
Cloud Gaming Virtual GpuApplication
Affected:< 2022
Virtual GpuApplication
Affected:>= 8.0, < 8.10>= 11.0, < 11.7>= 13.0, < 13.2

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. Check if NVIDIA vGPU kernel module is loaded
    Run `lsmod | grep nvidia` or `modinfo nvidia` to verify the presence of the nvidia.ko kernel module on the hypervisor host.
    Affected if The nvidia.ko module is loaded and present on the system.
  2. Determine installed NVIDIA vGPU software version
    Run `modinfo nvidia` and note the version string (e.g., in the 'version' or 'srcversion' field). Compare this version against the affected ranges: Nvidia Cloud Gaming Virtual Gpu < 2022, Nvidia Virtual Gpu >= 8.0 and < 8.10, >= 11.0 and < 11.7, >= 13.0 and < 13.2.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of the specified vulnerable version ranges.
  3. Verify vGPU configuration is enabled
    Confirm that the hypervisor is configured with vGPU-enabled guest VMs (e.g., check hypervisor inventory or VM settings for assigned vGPU devices). This may involve using hypervisor management tools (like virsh for KVM, vSphere Client for VMware, etc.) to list VMs with vGPU resources.
    Affected if The hypervisor has at least one guest VM configured with a vGPU device, enabling the guest OS to interact with the NVIDIA vGPU Manager.

The environment is affected if the NVIDIA vGPU software version is within the vulnerable ranges AND the hypervisor is configured with vGPU-enabled guest VMs, allowing guest users to trigger the interrupt storm.

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 8.10 / 11.7 / 13.2 or later
Fixed in 8.1011.713.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patch for NVIDIA vGPU software as specified in the NVIDIA security bulletin; ensure guest VM users cannot trigger uncontrolled GPU interrupt generation.

Recommended fix High confidence

Virtual Gpu: upgrade to 8.10, 11.7, or 13.2 (or later); Cloud Gaming Virtual Gpu: upgrade to 2022 or later

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed NVIDIA vGPU software version using nvidia-smi or checking the Virtual GPU Manager (nvidia.ko) version
  2. 2. Determine which affected version range your current installation falls into (Virtual Gpu 8.x, 11.x, 13.x, or Cloud Gaming Virtual Gpu)
  3. 3. Access the NVIDIA licensing portal or contact NVIDIA enterprise support to obtain the appropriate fixed version
  4. 4. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade will require host reboot
  5. 5. Backup current vGPU configurations and virtual machine settings
  6. 6. Download the fixed vGPU software package (version 8.10 or later for 8.x, 11.7 or later for 11.x, 13.2 or later for 13.x, or 2022 or later for Cloud Gaming)
  7. 7. Install the updated Virtual GPU Manager on the hypervisor host following NVIDIA's standard upgrade procedure
  8. 8. Restart the hypervisor host to load the new nvidia.ko driver
Caveat vGPU software upgrades typically require host reboot and may need VM configuration re-creation; ensure guest VM tools are compatible with the new vGPU version

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

Fix this in Cloud Gaming Virtual Gpu Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,570
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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-2022-21816 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