CVE-2024-45288
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 · uneditedA missing null-termination character in the last element of an nvlist array string can lead to writing outside the allocated buffer.
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 confidenceA missing null-termination character in the last element of an nvlist array string causes a buffer overflow when code attempts to read or write the string, leading to out-of-bounds memory access beyond the allocated buffer.
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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify NVIDIA components using nvlistReview installed NVIDIA software stack and identify components that utilize the nvlist library (commonly found in driver tools, management utilities, or GPU management frameworks). Use 'find /usr -name '*nvlist*'' or check NVIDIA driver/package contents.Affected if Any NVIDIA component that imports or links against nvlist libraries is potentially affected if the version contains the missing null-termination flaw.
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Determine nvlist library versionLocate the nvlist library file (typically libnvlist.so or similar) and query its version using 'strings <path_to_lib> | grep -i version' or check the file metadata. Compare against any vendor-released version information for CVE-2024-45288.Affected if The installed nvlist library version matches or falls within the range that vendor advisories list as vulnerable to this CVE.
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Inspect code using nvlist string arraysReview source code or binaries that call nvlist functions, specifically those handling string array operations (nvlist_add_string_array, nvlist_lookup_string_array, or similar). Search for patterns where strings are stored in nvlist arrays without explicit null-termination.Affected if Code performs string operations on nvlist arrays and exhibits behavior consistent with missing null-termination (strings appear to extend beyond intended bounds).
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Check for memory corruption indicatorsRun affected components under memory debugging tools (valgrind, AddressSanitizer) or enable runtime memory diagnostics. Monitor for out-of-bounds read/write warnings related to nvlist string handling.Affected if Memory debugging reports out-of-bounds access when nvlist string array functions are invoked, confirming the buffer overflow condition.
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Review nvlist configuration and input sourcesExamine configuration files, APIs, or inputs that feed data into nvlist string arrays. Identify paths where external or user-controlled strings enter nvlist without validation.Affected if Unvalidated string inputs are passed into nvlist arrays, creating the conditions for the missing null-termination to be exploited.
Your environment is affected if you have NVIDIA components using nvlist with a version that matches the vulnerable range and those components handle string array operations with potentially unvalidated input.
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 vendor-supplied patches for NVIDIA components using nvlist; until patched, validate all nvlist string inputs and monitor for memory corruption indicators.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-45288 — 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-2024-45288 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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