CVE-2015-5950 in Graphics Driver
Summary
by MITRE
The NVIDIA display driver R352 before 353.82 and R340 before 341.81 on Windows; R304 before 304.128, R340 before 340.93, and R352 before 352.41 on Linux; and R352 before 352.46 on GRID vGPU and vSGA allows local users to write to an arbitrary kernel memory location and consequently gain privileges via a crafted ioctl call.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/18/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-5950 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within NVIDIA display drivers across multiple operating systems and virtualization environments. This vulnerability affects specific versions of NVIDIA drivers including R352 before 353.82 and R340 before 341.81 on Windows platforms, along with various affected versions on Linux systems and GRID vGPU/vSGA environments. The flaw stems from improper validation of ioctl (input/output control) commands within the kernel-level driver components, creating a path for local attackers to manipulate kernel memory directly through crafted ioctl calls. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-119 category of "Improper Access to Memory Location" and represents a classic kernel memory corruption issue that can be exploited to achieve privilege escalation from user-level processes to kernel-level privileges.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of NVIDIA's proprietary ioctl interface, which serves as the communication channel between user-space applications and kernel drivers. When a local user crafts a specific ioctl command with malicious parameters, the driver fails to properly validate the input data, allowing the attacker to specify arbitrary kernel memory addresses for write operations. This flaw enables attackers to modify critical kernel structures, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation and memory management practices within the driver's kernel code, where the driver does not adequately sanitize the memory addresses provided by user-space applications before performing write operations. This type of flaw aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers 'Local Privilege Escalation' through kernel exploits and memory corruption vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-5950 is severe as it provides local attackers with a direct path to kernel-level privileges without requiring network access or complex exploitation chains. Once successfully exploited, the vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with the highest system privileges, potentially enabling them to install rootkits, modify system files, disable security mechanisms, or establish persistent backdoors. The vulnerability affects systems running various NVIDIA GPU configurations including desktop, server, and virtualized environments, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise settings where multiple systems may be running affected driver versions. The attack vector requires only local access to the system, making it difficult to detect and defend against, as it can be exploited by any user with access to the system. Organizations using NVIDIA graphics hardware in environments with untrusted local users face significant risk from this vulnerability, as it can be exploited by malicious insiders or compromised accounts to gain complete system control.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-5950 primarily focus on updating to patched driver versions that address the ioctl validation issues and memory access controls. NVIDIA released updated driver versions including 353.82 for Windows R352, 341.81 for Windows R340, and corresponding updates for Linux and GRID environments. System administrators should immediately deploy these patches across all affected systems, particularly in enterprise environments where multiple NVIDIA GPU configurations exist. Additional defensive measures include implementing kernel address space layout randomization (KASLR), enabling kernel module signing, and restricting local user access to systems with NVIDIA graphics hardware where possible. Monitoring for suspicious ioctl activity and implementing privilege separation mechanisms can help detect exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit local user access to systems running affected drivers, as the vulnerability requires local system access to exploit. The vulnerability highlights the importance of regular driver updates and proper security testing of kernel-level components, as it represents a failure in the driver's input validation and memory management security controls that could have been prevented through better code review processes and security testing procedures.