dbcve.org
Virtual GpuApplication · Nvidia

CVE-2023-31017

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 →
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 Windows contains a vulnerability where an attacker may be able to write arbitrary data to privileged locations by using reparse points. A successful exploit of this vulnerability 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 · moderate confidence

NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows contains a vulnerability where an attacker may exploit reparse points to write arbitrary data to privileged locations. Reparse points are file system objects that redirect file operations, and their improper handling in the driver could allow privilege escalation or code execution.

MitigationUpdate the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver to the latest patched version provided by NVIDIA. Apply standard Windows privilege separation and restrict driver installation permissions to prevent local exploitation.

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
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. Verify NVIDIA Virtual GPU software is installed
    Open Windows Registry Editor and check HKLM\SOFTWARE\NVIDIA Corporation\NV_Windows or look for NVIDIA Virtual GPU entries in Programs and Features
    Affected if No NVIDIA Virtual GPU software is found, then this CVE does not apply
  2. Identify the installed NVIDIA Virtual GPU version
    Check the version in the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\NVIDIA Corporation\NV_Windows\InstalledVersion or inspect the driver file version in %SystemRoot%\System32\drivers\nvvad* or similar NVIDIA driver files
    Affected if Unable to determine version from registry or driver files
  3. Compare installed version against affected ranges
    Check if version is < 13.9 OR (>= 14.0 AND < 15.4) OR (>= 16.0 AND < 16.2)
    Affected if Version falls into any of these ranges: < 13.9, 14.0-15.3, or 16.0-16.1 - the system is affected
  4. Verify the NVIDIA display driver is present and loaded
    Open Device Manager and expand Display adapters, or run 'sc query nvlddmkm' in Command Prompt to check if the NVIDIA driver service is active
    Affected if NVIDIA display driver service is running and version is in affected range

The system is affected if NVIDIA Virtual GPU software is installed with a version in the ranges < 13.9, 14.0-15.3, or 16.0-16.1 and the NVIDIA display driver is loaded.

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 patched version provided by NVIDIA. Apply standard Windows privilege separation and restrict driver installation permissions to prevent local exploitation.

Recommended fix High confidence

Virtual GPU 13.9, 15.4, or 16.2 (depending on current version branch)

  1. Identify the currently installed NVIDIA Virtual GPU driver version on the Windows system
  2. Determine which version range the current installation falls into: < 13.9, >= 14.0 and < 15.4, or >= 16.0 and < 16.2
  3. Download the appropriate fixed NVIDIA Virtual GPU driver from the NVIDIA website or enterprise download portal
  4. Backup existing driver configurations and any critical system data before proceeding
  5. Uninstall the current NVIDIA Virtual GPU driver through Windows Device Manager or the NVIDIA uninstaller
  6. Restart the system to ensure clean driver removal
  7. Install the fixed driver version: 13.9 or higher for systems previously below 13.9; 15.4 or higher for systems in the 14.x-15.4 range; 16.2 or higher for systems in the 16.0-16.2 range
  8. Restart the system after driver installation
Caveat Driver updates may require application compatibility testing; verify virtualization platform compatibility before upgrading

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

Fix this in Virtual Gpu Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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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-2023-31017 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