CVE-2018-6253 in GPU Display Driver
Summary
by MITRE
NVIDIA GPU Display Driver contains a vulnerability in DirectX and OpenGL Usermode drivers where specially crafted pixel shader can cause infinite recursion leading to denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/26/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-6253 resides within NVIDIA GPU Display Driver components, specifically affecting the DirectX and OpenGL user-mode drivers that handle graphics processing tasks. This flaw manifests when the graphics driver encounters specially crafted pixel shaders that can trigger infinite recursion during shader execution, ultimately resulting in system denial of service conditions. The vulnerability represents a critical weakness in the graphics processing pipeline where legitimate graphics operations can be exploited to cause system instability and complete service disruption.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the shader processing subsystem of NVIDIA's graphics drivers. When the driver processes malformed pixel shaders containing recursive references or circular dependencies, the shader compiler fails to properly detect and terminate these infinite loops. This flaw falls under the category of improper input validation as defined by CWE-20, where the system does not adequately verify the integrity and safety of shader code before execution. The vulnerability specifically affects the user-mode components of the graphics driver, meaning that exploitation does not require kernel-level privileges but can still cause complete system hangs or crashes.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to systems running NVIDIA graphics hardware, particularly in enterprise environments where graphics-intensive applications are common. The denial of service condition can affect both individual user sessions and entire systems, potentially causing production downtime and service interruptions. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability by crafting malicious pixel shaders and presenting them to the graphics driver through legitimate applications, making the attack vector relatively accessible. The impact extends beyond simple system crashes, as the infinite recursion can cause memory exhaustion and system resource depletion, leading to more severe operational consequences.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-6253 primarily focus on applying official NVIDIA driver updates that contain patches addressing the shader validation issues. System administrators should implement regular driver update schedules and maintain awareness of NVIDIA security bulletins to ensure timely remediation. Additionally, organizations can consider implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of graphics-intensive applications that might be exploited, though this approach may impact legitimate business operations. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for application execution and T1499.004 for network denial of service, making it relevant to both endpoint protection and network security monitoring strategies. Organizations should also consider monitoring for unusual graphics driver behavior and implement intrusion detection systems capable of identifying potential exploitation attempts through abnormal shader processing patterns.