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Virtual GpuApplication · Nvidia

CVE-2023-31018

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.9 / 15.4 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 GPU Driver for Windows and Linux contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer, where an unprivileged regular user can cause a NULL-pointer dereference, which may lead to 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 · moderate confidence

A NULL-pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the kernel mode layer of NVIDIA GPU drivers for Windows and Linux. An unprivileged regular user can trigger this flaw, causing kernel panic or system crash resulting in denial of service.

MitigationApply the NVIDIA vendor-supplied driver update/patch to remediate this vulnerability. Organizations should inventory affected systems, test the update in a staging environment, and deploy via standard patch management processes.

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
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. Identify if Nvidia Virtual GPU software is installed
    On Windows, check Control Panel > Programs and Features for NVIDIA vGPU software or check Device Manager for NVIDIA virtual GPU device. On Linux, check /proc/driver/nvidia/version or run lsmod | grep nvidia to verify nvidia kernel modules are loaded.
    Affected if Nvidia Virtual GPU software is present on the system
  2. Determine the installed Nvidia Virtual GPU version
    On Windows, run nvgpu_vgpu_version.exe if available, or check the NVIDIA Control Panel > System Information > Driver Version. On Linux, check the nvidia-smi output which displays the driver and vGPU software version, or examine /usr/bin/nvidia-smi.
    Affected if Unable to determine the version or version is returned as null/invalid
  3. Compare the installed version against affected ranges
    The affected version ranges are: all versions < 13.9; versions >= 14.0 and < 15.4; versions >= 16.0 and < 16.2. Match your installed version against these ranges.
    Affected if Installed version falls within any of these ranges: < 13.9, 14.0-15.3, or 16.0-16.1
  4. Verify the kernel mode driver is loaded
    On Windows, verify the NVIDIA kernel mode driver (nvlddmkm.sys) is loaded by checking Device Manager > Display Adapters. On Linux, verify nvidia.ko and related kernel modules are loaded via lsmod | grep nvidia.
    Affected if The NVIDIA kernel mode driver is actively loaded and running

A system is affected if Nvidia Virtual GPU software is installed with a driver version matching < 13.9, 14.0-15.3, or 16.0-16.1, and the kernel mode 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

Apply the NVIDIA vendor-supplied driver update/patch to remediate this vulnerability. Organizations should inventory affected systems, test the update in a staging environment, and deploy via standard patch management processes.

Recommended fix High confidence

NVIDIA Virtual GPU 13.9, 15.4, or 16.2 (depending on your current branch; recommend latest available version)

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of NVIDIA Virtual GPU software by running: nvidia-smi or checking the NVIDIA Control Panel/Settings
  2. 2. Determine which version branch your current installation belongs to (< 13.9, 14.x-15.3, or 16.0-16.1)
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed version from NVIDIA's official website or support portal: upgrade to 13.9 or later for the 13.x branch, 15.4 or later for the 15.x branch, or 16.2 or later for the 16.x branch
  4. 4. Follow NVIDIA's standard driver installation procedure for your platform (Windows or Linux)
  5. 5. Reboot the system after installation to ensure the new kernel mode driver loads properly
  6. 6. Verify the installation by checking the driver version with nvidia-smi
Caveat Review NVIDIA's release notes for the target version to check for any compatibility changes with your hypervisor or guest operating system

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

Fix this in Virtual Gpu Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,300
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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-2023-31018 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