dbcve.org
Virtual GpuApplication · Nvidia

CVE-2023-31016

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.9 / 15.4 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 Windows contains a vulnerability where an uncontrolled search path element may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, which may lead to code execution, denial of service, escalation of privileges, 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 Windows contains an uncontrolled search path element vulnerability that allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code through DLL hijacking or binary planting, potentially leading to code execution, denial of service, privilege escalation, information disclosure, or data tampering.

MitigationUpdate the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver to the latest version available from NVIDIA to remediate this vulnerability.

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:< 13.9>= 14.0, < 15.4>= 16.0, < 16.2

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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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. Check if NVIDIA Virtual GPU software is installed
    Open Windows Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\NVIDIA Corporation\NV_Windows, or check Add/Remove Programs for 'NVIDIA Virtual GPU' or 'NVIDIA vGPU' entries
    Affected if The registry key or program entry exists, indicating NVIDIA Virtual GPU software is present
  2. Identify the NVIDIA vGPU Manager version
    Open Services (services.msc) and look for 'NVIDIA vGPU Manager' service, right-click and select Properties to view the version, or check C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\vGPU Manager\vgpu-manager.exe version via right-click > Properties > Details
    Affected if A service named 'NVIDIA vGPU Manager' or related NVIDIA vGPU components are found running on the system
  3. Compare installed version against affected ranges
    If the version is found, compare it numerically to: < 13.9, OR >= 14.0 and < 15.4, OR >= 16.0 and < 16.2
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: less than 13.9, between 14.0-15.3 inclusive, or between 16.0-16.1 inclusive

A system is affected if NVIDIA Virtual GPU or vGPU Manager is installed and the version falls within < 13.9, >= 14.0 to < 15.4, or >= 16.0 to < 16.2.

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 13.9 / 15.4 / 16.2 or later
Fixed in 13.915.416.2
Interim mitigation

Update the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver to the latest version available from NVIDIA to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows version 16.2 or later (or the latest available stable version)

  1. Identify the currently installed NVIDIA GPU Display Driver version on the Windows system using Device Manager or the NVIDIA Control Panel
  2. Determine which version branch the current installation falls into (<13.9, 14.x-15.3, or 16.0-16.1)
  3. Download the appropriate fixed driver version from NVIDIA's official website at nvidia.custhelp.com
  4. Uninstall the current NVIDIA GPU Display Driver via Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features
  5. Restart the system to ensure clean driver removal
  6. Install the new fixed version driver (16.2 or later recommended)
  7. Restart the system after driver installation completes
Caveat Standard driver update risks apply - ensure system backup before proceeding; some legacy GPU models may have driver compatibility considerations

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

Fix this in Virtual Gpu Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.

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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-2023-31016 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