CVE-2021-1083 in Virtual GPU Manager
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) and version 11.x (prior to 11.4).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/03/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-1083 resides within NVIDIA vGPU software components, specifically targeting the guest kernel mode driver and Virtual GPU Manager vGPU plugin implementations. This weakness represents a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity and confidentiality of virtualized graphics environments. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms within the communication interfaces between guest operating systems and the vGPU hypervisor components, creating potential attack vectors that could be exploited by malicious actors. The affected versions span across NVIDIA vGPU 12.x releases prior to 12.2 and 11.x releases prior to 11.4, indicating a significant portion of deployed virtual graphics solutions remain susceptible to this flaw.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation as a fundamental weakness in software design. When the guest kernel mode driver receives input parameters from the virtual GPU Manager, it fails to properly validate the length or format of these inputs before processing them. This validation gap creates opportunities for attackers to craft malicious input sequences that can trigger unexpected behavior within the driver components. The flaw manifests through improper handling of input data that exceeds expected boundaries or contains malformed structures, potentially causing buffer overflows, memory corruption, or other undefined behaviors that compromise system stability and security.
The operational impact of CVE-2021-1083 extends across multiple security domains, creating risks for information disclosure, data tampering, and service disruption within virtualized graphics environments. Attackers could potentially exploit this vulnerability to extract sensitive information from memory regions, modify data within the vGPU communication channels, or cause system crashes that result in denial of service conditions. In enterprise environments where vGPU technology is deployed for virtual desktop infrastructure, data center graphics acceleration, or cloud computing services, this vulnerability represents a significant threat to operational continuity and data security. The impact is particularly severe in multi-tenant environments where isolation between virtual machines could be compromised through exploitation of this flaw.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-1083 should prioritize immediate patching of affected vGPU software versions to remediate the input validation deficiencies. Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring of vGPU communication channels to detect anomalous input patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened around vGPU-managed environments to limit potential attack surfaces. Security teams should conduct thorough assessments of their virtualized graphics infrastructure to identify all affected systems and implement layered defensive measures including intrusion detection systems and behavioral monitoring tools. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation in kernel-mode drivers and highlights the need for regular security assessments of virtualization components. This weakness also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as exploitation may involve crafting specific input sequences to trigger the vulnerable code paths within the guest kernel driver components.