dbcve.org
Dgx A100 FirmwareOperating system · Nvidia

CVE-2023-0206

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.18 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 DGX A100 SBIOS contains a vulnerability where an attacker may modify arbitrary memory of SMRAM by exploiting the NVME SMM API. A successful exploit of this vulnerability may lead to denial of service, escalation of privileges, and information disclosure.

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 DGX A100 System BIOS contains a vulnerability allowing an attacker to modify arbitrary memory in SMRAM (System Management RAM) through the NVME SMM API. Successful exploitation grants access to System Management Mode, enabling privilege escalation, denial of service, and information disclosure.

MitigationApply the NVIDIA firmware/BIOS update for CVE-2023-0206 to all affected DGX A100 systems. Coordinate through NVIDIA's official support channels to obtain and deploy the patched BIOS version.

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
Dgx A100 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.18

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. Confirm DGX A100 system identity
    Verify the hardware is an NVIDIA DGX A100 through system inventory records, BMC web interface, or NVIDIA deployment documentation
    Affected if system is not a DGX A100 - this CVE specifically targets that platform
  2. Locate the BIOS/firmware version reporting interface
    Access the BMC/IPMI web interface or use ipmitool to query the BMC for firmware version information (command: ipmitool -I lanplus -H <bmc_ip> -U <user> -P <pass> mc info or similar)
    Affected if unable to access BMC or retrieve version - cannot complete assessment
  3. Extract the current BIOS/firmware version
    Query the firmware version through the BMC interface, NVIDIA system management tools, or check the BIOS setup utility version display
    Affected if version information is not available or unclear
  4. Compare against affected version range
    Compare the installed BIOS/firmware version number to the affected range: any version below 1.18 is vulnerable
    Affected if installed version is 1.17 or lower - the system is vulnerable to SMRAM memory modification via the NVME SMM API

System is affected only if it is an NVIDIA DGX A100 with BIOS/firmware version below 1.18.

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 1.18 or later
Fixed in 1.18
Interim mitigation

Apply the NVIDIA firmware/BIOS update for CVE-2023-0206 to all affected DGX A100 systems. Coordinate through NVIDIA's official support channels to obtain and deploy the patched BIOS version.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

DGX A100 Firmware >= 1.18

  1. Verify current firmware version by accessing the DGX A100 system and checking the SBIOS/firmware version
  2. Download the DGX A100 firmware version 1.18 or later from the NVIDIA enterprise support portal (enterprise.nvidia.com) or via nvidia.custhelp.com
  3. Review NVIDIA's firmware update documentation and ensure all prerequisites are met, including proper power backup and system backup
  4. Apply the firmware update using NVIDIA's recommended tooling (typically via BMC or NVIDIA System Management interface)
  5. Verify the firmware update was successful by confirming the new version is 1.18 or later
  6. Reboot the system as recommended by NVIDIA after firmware update
Caveat Firmware upgrades carry inherent risks; ensure proper backup and follow NVIDIA's update procedures precisely to avoid system instability

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

Fix this in Dgx A100 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

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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-2023-0206 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