CVE-2024-21976
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 · uneditedImproper input validation in the NPU driver could allow an attacker to supply a specially crafted pointer potentially leading to arbitrary code execution.
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 confidenceThis is an improper input validation vulnerability in the NPU (Neural Processing Unit) driver. The flaw allows an attacker to supply a specially crafted pointer that can be dereferenced by the driver, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution in kernel context.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify NPU driver installationEnumerate installed drivers or modules on the system. On Linux, check /sys/module/ or use lsmod. On Windows, check device manager or driver enumeration tools. Look for drivers related to NPU, Neural Processing Unit, or vendor-specific NPU drivers (e.g., Intel NPU, AMD NPU, NVIDIA NPU).Affected if If an NPU driver is found in the driver enumeration and is loaded into the kernel.
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Retrieve NPU driver versionObtain the version information of the identified NPU driver. On Linux, use modinfo <driver_name>. On Windows, right-click the driver in Device Manager > Properties > Driver tab. This version string is typically displayed as a dotted version number (e.g., X.Y.Z).Affected if If the NPU driver is present and a version number is returned that can be compared against the fixed version.
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Compare driver version to fixed releaseConsult the vendor's security advisory for CVE-2024-21976 to obtain the specific patched version number. Compare your retrieved version against the fixed version using standard version comparison (e.g., semver or dotted version comparison). Note that version comparison may require vendor-specific knowledge of the versioning scheme.Affected if If the installed version is lower than the vendor-stated fixed version, the system is vulnerable.
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Verify NPU driver is actively loadedCheck if the NPU driver is currently loaded and running. On Linux, use lsmod | grep <npu_driver_name> or check /proc/modules. On Windows, verify the driver status in Device Manager or using driverquery command. An actively loaded driver exposes the attack surface.Affected if If the NPU driver is loaded and running, the vulnerability is exploitable in this environment.
The environment is affected if an NPU driver is installed, loaded, and its version is lower than the vendor-published fixed version for CVE-2024-21976.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply the vendor-provided security patch for the NPU driver to implement proper validation of pointer inputs. If no patch is available, consider disabling or restricting access to the NPU driver until a fix can be deployed.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-21976 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-21976 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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