dbcve.org
Dgx A100 FirmwareOperating system · Nvidia

CVE-2023-31035

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.25 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 cause an SMI callout vulnerability that could be used to execute arbitrary code at the SMM level. A successful exploit of this vulnerability may lead to code execution, 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

The NVIDIA DGX A100 SBIOS contains an SMI (System Management Interrupt) callout vulnerability that allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code at the SMM (System Management Mode) level. SMM is the highest privilege mode on x86 processors, giving the attacker complete control over the system. This vulnerability could lead to code execution, denial of service, privilege escalation, and information disclosure.

MitigationApply the NVIDIA firmware/BIOS update for the DGX A100 system once available. Until patched, restrict physical access to the systems and monitor for any unauthorized SMI or SMM activity.

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:< 1.25

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. Identify the system model
    Run `dmidecode -s system-product-name` or check the physical NVIDIA DGX A100 hardware label to confirm the system is a DGX A100.
    Affected if The system is not an NVIDIA DGX A100 (the vulnerability only affects this specific system).
  2. Check the SBIOS firmware version
    Run `dmidecode -s bios-version` or use NVIDIA's system management tools (e.g., nvidia-smi or BMC/IPMI interfaces) to retrieve the current BIOS/SMI firmware version installed on the DGX A100.
    Affected if The firmware version is unknown or cannot be retrieved, making it impossible to confirm the patch status.
  3. Compare installed version to the vulnerable range
    Compare the retrieved firmware version number to the affected range (versions prior to 1.25). If the version is 1.25 or higher, the system may be patched. If the version is below 1.25 or cannot be determined, the system is potentially affected.
    Affected if The installed firmware version is below 1.25, indicating the system is vulnerable to the SMI callout flaw.
  4. Inspect SMI configuration and SMM access
    Review system management configuration through the BMC/IPMI interface (e.g., via ipmitool) or BIOS settings for System Management Mode settings. Check for any unexpected or unauthorized SMI handlers, debug features, or SMM configuration changes.
    Affected if Unauthorized SMI handlers, debug features enabled, or unexpected SMM configuration is found, indicating potential exploitation or a misconfigured environment.
  5. Review system logs for SMI/SMM activity
    Examine system management logs (via BMC/IPMI SEL logs or kernel logs with `dmesg | grep -i smi` or `dmesg | grep -i smm`) for any anomalous System Management Interrupt events or SMM calls.
    Affected if Unexpected or unauthorized SMI events appear in logs, which may indicate the vulnerability is being actively exploited or the system has been compromised.

The system is affected if it is an NVIDIA DGX A100 with firmware version below 1.25, or if the version cannot be confirmed, combined with the presence of SMI callout configuration accessible to an attacker.

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 1.25 or later
Fixed in 1.25
Interim mitigation

Apply the NVIDIA firmware/BIOS update for the DGX A100 system once available. Until patched, restrict physical access to the systems and monitor for any unauthorized SMI or SMM activity.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

DGX A100 Firmware version 1.25 or later

  1. Obtain the DGX A100 firmware update from NVIDIA's official support portal (nvidia.custhelp.com) for version 1.25 or later
  2. Review the NVIDIA firmware update documentation for DGX A100 specific instructions
  3. Apply the firmware update following NVIDIA's prescribed update procedure for the DGX A100 system
  4. Verify the firmware version has been successfully updated to 1.25 or later after the update process completes
Caveat Firmware updates may require system downtime; ensure proper backup and maintenance window planning

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

Fix this in Dgx A100 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2023-31035 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