CVE-2021-1081 in vGPU Software
Summary
by MITRE • 04/30/2021
NVIDIA vGPU software contains a vulnerability in the guest kernel mode driver and Virtual GPU manager (vGPU plugin), in which an input length is not validated, which may lead to information disclosure, tampering of data, or denial of service. This affects vGPU version 12.x (prior to 12.2), version 11.x (prior to 11.4) and version 8.x (prior 8.7).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/03/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-1081 resides within NVIDIA vGPU software ecosystem, specifically targeting the guest kernel mode driver and Virtual GPU manager components. This flaw represents a critical security weakness that manifests through improper input validation mechanisms within the vGPU plugin architecture. The vulnerability affects multiple major versions of NVIDIA vGPU software including 12.x series prior to 12.2, 11.x series prior to 11.4, and 8.x series prior to 8.7, indicating a widespread impact across different software iterations. The affected components operate within virtualized GPU environments where guest operating systems interact with hypervisor-managed graphics resources through kernel mode drivers and management plugins.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of input parameters within the communication channels between guest operating systems and the vGPU manager. When malicious actors provide malformed or oversized input data to the affected driver components, the lack of proper validation allows the system to process these inputs without adequate sanitization or bounds checking. This absence of input validation creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate the normal operation of the virtual GPU environment, potentially leading to unauthorized data access or system state manipulation. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-20 category of "Improper Input Validation" and represents a classic example of buffer overflow or injection attack vectors that can be exploited in virtualized computing environments.
The operational impact of CVE-2021-1081 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to encompass potential information disclosure and data tampering capabilities. In virtualized environments where multiple tenants share GPU resources, this vulnerability could enable one guest operating system to access or corrupt data belonging to other virtual machines running on the same physical hardware. The attack surface becomes particularly concerning in cloud computing environments where NVIDIA vGPU technology is commonly deployed for multi-tenant scenarios, as it could facilitate cross-tenant data leakage or compromise the integrity of virtualized graphics processing workloads. This vulnerability directly impacts the security isolation properties that virtualization platforms rely upon for maintaining secure multi-tenant environments.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell" and T1068 for "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation" when considering how attackers might leverage the information disclosure aspect to gain additional system insights. The vulnerability can be exploited through carefully crafted inputs that bypass normal validation checks, potentially allowing attackers to extract sensitive information from memory structures or manipulate virtual GPU state information. Organizations utilizing NVIDIA vGPU solutions in production environments face significant risk exposure, particularly those operating in regulated industries where data integrity and confidentiality are paramount. The vulnerability's impact on virtual GPU management plugins means that even legitimate administrative operations could be compromised if proper input validation is not implemented.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-1081 primarily focus on immediate software updates and patches provided by NVIDIA to address the specific input validation flaws. System administrators should prioritize updating affected vGPU software versions to the patched releases mentioned in the vulnerability advisories, specifically versions 12.2, 11.4, and 8.7 respectively. Additional protective measures include implementing network segmentation to limit access to vGPU management interfaces, deploying monitoring solutions to detect anomalous input patterns, and establishing robust input sanitization procedures within virtualized environments. Organizations should also consider implementing principle of least privilege access controls for vGPU management operations and regularly audit virtual GPU configurations to ensure proper isolation between virtual machine instances. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date virtualization software components and demonstrates how security flaws in hypervisor-managed drivers can significantly impact overall system security posture in cloud and enterprise environments.