CVE-2016-8808 in Graphics Driver
Summary
by MITRE
For the NVIDIA Quadro, NVS, and GeForce products, NVIDIA Windows GPU Display Driver R340 before 342.00, R367 before 369.59, and R375 before 375.63 contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer (nvlddmkm.sys) handler for DxgDdiEscape ID 0x70000d5 where a value passed from an user to the driver is used without validation as the index to an internal array, leading to denial of service or potential escalation of privileges.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/05/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-8808 affects NVIDIA graphics drivers across multiple product lines including Quadro, NVS, and GeForce series devices running Windows operating systems. This issue resides within the kernel mode layer of the NVIDIA Windows GPU Display Driver specifically in the nvlddmkm.sys component which handles graphics driver operations at the kernel level. The flaw manifests in the DxgDdiEscape handler for a specific escape identifier 0x70000d5, representing a critical security gap that could potentially be exploited by malicious actors to compromise system integrity.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the kernel mode driver component. When user-space applications submit data to the graphics driver through the DxgDdiEscape interface with ID 0x70000d5, the driver accepts a value that should be validated before being used as an array index. This lack of validation creates a classic buffer overflow condition where an attacker-controlled value can directly influence memory access patterns within the driver's internal data structures. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-129 weakness category, which specifically addresses insufficient validation of array indices, and represents a direct violation of secure coding practices in kernel-level software development.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enable privilege escalation attacks. When an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can manipulate the driver's internal array access patterns to either cause system crashes and denial of service conditions or potentially escalate privileges from user-level to kernel-level execution. This escalation capability makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could allow attackers to bypass standard operating system security mechanisms and gain unauthorized administrative access to affected systems. The vulnerability affects multiple driver versions including R340 before 342.00, R367 before 369.59, and R375 before 375.63, indicating a widespread issue across several driver releases that could affect numerous deployed systems.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation' and T1499 which addresses 'Endpoint Denial of Service'. The attack surface for exploitation includes any Windows system running affected NVIDIA drivers where user applications can potentially trigger the vulnerable code path through graphics operations. The kernel mode nature of the vulnerability means that successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise, making this a high-priority security issue for organizations relying on NVIDIA graphics hardware. Organizations should implement immediate patch management procedures to upgrade to affected driver versions that contain the necessary security fixes, as the vulnerability represents a significant risk to system availability and security integrity. The remediation process requires careful consideration of driver compatibility and system stability, as graphics driver updates can sometimes introduce compatibility issues with existing applications or hardware configurations.