CVE-2016-4961 in Graphics Driver
Summary
by MITRE
For the NVIDIA Quadro, NVS, GeForce products, improper sanitization of parameters in the NVStreamKMS.sys API layer caused a denial of service vulnerability (blue screen crash) within the NVIDIA Windows graphics drivers.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/27/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-4961 represents a critical denial of service flaw within NVIDIA's Windows graphics driver ecosystem, specifically affecting Quadro, NVS, and GeForce product lines. This issue manifests through the NVStreamKMS.sys kernel driver component which serves as the primary interface for stream management and kernel-mode operations in NVIDIA's graphics stack. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the API layer that processes user-supplied parameters, creating a pathway for malformed data to propagate through the driver's execution flow and ultimately trigger system instability.
The technical flaw resides in the improper sanitization of parameters passed to the NVStreamKMS.sys driver, where the kernel-mode component fails to adequately validate or sanitize input data before processing. This parameter sanitization failure creates a condition where malicious or malformed input can cause the driver to execute unintended code paths or access invalid memory locations, resulting in a system crash or blue screen of death. The vulnerability specifically affects the Windows graphics driver architecture and operates at the kernel level, making it particularly dangerous as it can compromise the entire operating system stability when exploited. The lack of proper bounds checking and parameter validation in the API layer allows attackers to craft specific inputs that cause memory corruption or invalid pointer dereferences within the driver's execution context.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to system availability and user productivity, as it can cause unexpected system crashes and reboots without warning. The blue screen crashes resulting from this vulnerability can occur during normal graphics operations, gaming sessions, or professional applications that rely on NVIDIA graphics acceleration, potentially leading to data loss or extended system downtime. The vulnerability affects a broad range of NVIDIA hardware products including professional workstation graphics cards and consumer gaming GPUs, making it a widespread concern across multiple market segments. System administrators and end-users face the challenge of unpredictable system failures that can occur at critical moments, particularly in enterprise environments where graphics performance and system stability are paramount.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-4961 should prioritize immediate driver updates from NVIDIA, which typically include enhanced parameter validation and input sanitization mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected systems receive security updates promptly. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses insufficient input validation, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.003 for Windows command-line interface and T1490 for denial of service attacks. System monitoring should focus on identifying unusual crash patterns or kernel-mode异常 behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and access controls can limit the potential impact of exploitation attempts, while maintaining regular system backups ensures recovery capabilities in case of successful exploitation. Organizations should also consider disabling unnecessary graphics features or services that might expose additional attack surfaces, particularly in high-security environments where system stability is critical for operations.