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Virtual GpuApplication · Nvidia

CVE-2022-42256

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.11 / 13.6 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 GPU Display Driver for Linux contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer (nvidia.ko), where an integer overflow in index validation may 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 · high confidence

NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Linux contains an integer overflow vulnerability in the kernel mode layer (nvidia.ko) during index validation. This occurs when the driver improperly handles index calculations, potentially allowing a local attacker to trigger the overflow and cause denial of service, expose sensitive information, or corrupt data.

MitigationApply the NVIDIA security patch or update to a fixed driver version. Since this is a kernel-mode driver vulnerability, ensure the update is tested in a staging environment before production deployment to verify GPU functionality and driver stability.

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:< 11.11>= 12.0, < 13.6>= 14.0, < 14.4
Cloud GamingApplication
Affected:< 525.60.11< 525.60.12

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 installed NVIDIA driver version
    Run `cat /proc/driver/nvidia/version` or `lsmod | grep nvidia` to confirm nvidia.ko is loaded, then use `nvidia-smi` or check the driver package with `dpkg -l | grep nvidia` or `rpm -qa | grep nvidia`
    Affected if The displayed version falls within: Virtual GPU < 11.11, >= 12.0 to < 13.6, >= 14.0 to < 14.4, or Cloud Gaming < 525.60.11 or < 525.60.12
  2. Confirm kernel module is loaded
    Execute `lsmod | grep nvidia` to verify the nvidia.ko kernel module is currently loaded in memory
    Affected if The nvidia.ko module appears in the loaded modules list, indicating the vulnerable driver component is active
  3. Check driver package version
    For Debian-based systems: `dpkg -l | grep nvidia-driver`; for RHEL-based systems: `rpm -qa | grep -i nvidia`
    Affected if The installed package version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the affected products
  4. Verify Linux kernel is using NVIDIA driver
    Run `ls -la /dev/nvidia*` to check for NVIDIA device files, indicating the driver is operational
    Affected if Device files exist and the driver is active, confirming exposure to the vulnerability

A system is affected if the nvidia.ko kernel module is loaded and its version matches any of the vulnerable ranges: Virtual GPU versions before 11.11, 12.0-13.5.x, or 14.0-14.3.x; Cloud Gaming versions before 525.60.12.

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 11.11 / 13.6 / 14.4 or later
Fixed in 11.1113.614.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the NVIDIA security patch or update to a fixed driver version. Since this is a kernel-mode driver vulnerability, ensure the update is tested in a staging environment before production deployment to verify GPU functionality and driver stability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Virtual GPU: 11.11, 13.6, or 14.4 (and respective later releases in each branch) | Cloud Gaming: 525.60.11 or 525.60.12

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed NVIDIA driver version using: `nvidia-smi` or `cat /proc/driver/nvidia/version`
  2. 2. For Virtual GPU deployments: Upgrade to version 11.11 or later, OR 13.6 or later, OR 14.4 or later depending on your major version branch
  3. 3. For Cloud Gaming deployments: Upgrade to version 525.60.11 or later, OR 525.60.12 or later
  4. 4. Download the appropriate driver from NVIDIA's official website or your distribution's package repository
  5. 5. Install the new driver package using your distribution's package manager (e.g., `apt-get install`, `yum install`) or run the NVIDIA installer directly
  6. 6. Reboot the system to load the new kernel module
  7. 7. Verify the fix by confirming the new version is loaded: `nvidia-smi` or `cat /proc/driver/nvidia/version`

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

Fix this in Virtual Gpu Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,760
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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-2022-42256 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