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Virtual GpuApplication · Nvidia

CVE-2023-31021

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 vGPU software for Windows and Linux contains a vulnerability in the Virtual GPU Manager (vGPU plugin), where a malicious user in the guest VM 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 · high confidence

NVIDIA vGPU software contains a NULL-pointer dereference vulnerability in the Virtual GPU Manager (vGPU plugin). A malicious user within a guest VM can trigger this condition, causing the vGPU Manager to crash and result in denial of service for the affected guest VM and potentially other VMs on the same hypervisor.

MitigationApply the NVIDIA vGPU software update/patch provided by NVIDIA to address this vulnerability. Ensure guest driver versions are compatible with the updated vGPU Manager.

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. Verify NVIDIA vGPU software is installed
    On the hypervisor host (VMware ESXi, Citrix XenServer, or KVM with NVIDIA GRID), check for presence of NVIDIA vGPU Manager packages. For ESXi, run 'esxcli software vib list | grep nvidia' or check /opt/nvidia/ directory. For XenServer, check 'xe host-list' and look for vGPU-enabled hosts.
    Affected if NVIDIA vGPU Manager packages are found on the hypervisor
  2. Check vGPU Manager version
    Retrieve the installed vGPU Manager version. For ESXi, use 'esxcli software vib list | grep -i vgpu' or check the NVIDIA vGPU Manager VIB version. For XenServer, run 'xe vgpu-type-list' to see vGPU types and their versions. Compare against affected ranges: < 13.9, >= 14.0 and < 15.4, >= 16.0 and < 16.2
    Affected if The installed vGPU Manager version falls within any of the affected ranges (< 13.9, 14.0-15.3, or 16.0-16.1)
  3. Identify guest VMs with vGPU passthrough assigned
    List all VMs that have vGPU devices assigned. For ESXi, check VM configuration for 'vgpu' profile or examine /vmfs/volumes/*/VM_name/*.vmx for 'vgpu.profile' entries. For XenServer, run 'xe vm-list params=name-label,vgpu-uuid' to identify VMs with vGPU assigned.
    Affected if Any guest VMs are configured with vGPU passthrough devices using the affected vGPU Manager version
  4. Check for vGPU Manager crash logs
    Review hypervisor logs for vGPU Manager crashes or NULL pointer dereference errors. For ESXi, check /var/log/vmkernel.log and /var/log/vmware/vgpu-*.log for crash indicators. For XenServer, review /var/log/xen/*.log. Look for keywords like 'NULL pointer', 'vgpu', 'crash', or 'dereference'.
    Affected if Recent crash logs indicate vGPU Manager failures that match the CVE description

The environment is affected if the hypervisor runs a vGPU Manager version in the ranges < 13.9, >= 14.0 to < 15.4, or >= 16.0 to < 16.2, and any guest VMs have vGPU devices assigned.

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 vGPU software update/patch provided by NVIDIA to address this vulnerability. Ensure guest driver versions are compatible with the updated vGPU Manager.

Recommended fix High confidence

NVIDIA vGPU 13.9 or later for legacy branches; 15.4 or later for 14.x/15.x branches; 16.2 or later for 16.x branch

  1. 1. Identify the current NVIDIA vGPU software version by running nvidia-smi or checking the Virtual GPU Manager version in the hypervisor
  2. 2. Based on your current version, determine the target fixed release: if < 13.9 upgrade to 13.9 or later; if >= 14.0 and < 15.4 upgrade to 15.4 or later; if >= 16.0 and < 16.2 upgrade to 16.2 or later
  3. 3. Download the corresponding fixed vGPU software package from the NVIDIA licensing portal or nvidia.custhelp.com
  4. 4. Follow NVIDIA's standard vGPU upgrade procedure: first update the Virtual GPU Manager (hypervisor side), then update the guest VM drivers
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify the vGPU software version matches the fixed release and confirm the vulnerability is resolved
  6. 6. Test that vGPU functionality works normally and monitor for any issues
Caveat vGPU upgrades require downtime for guest VMs and may require coordination with hypervisor updates; ensure guest VM vGPU profiles remain compatible after upgrade

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
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2023-31021 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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