CVE-2021-1109 in Jetson AGX Xavier
Summary
by MITRE • 08/12/2021
NVIDIA camera firmware contains a multistep, timing-related vulnerability where an unauthorized modification by camera resources may result in loss of data integrity or denial of service across several streams.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/16/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-1109 resides within NVIDIA camera firmware implementations, representing a sophisticated timing-related weakness that undermines the integrity of camera stream processing. This flaw operates through a multistep mechanism that exploits temporal dependencies in firmware operations, creating opportunities for unauthorized modification of camera resources that can cascade across multiple video streams simultaneously. The vulnerability fundamentally compromises the reliability of camera systems by introducing potential data corruption or complete service disruption scenarios.
From a technical perspective, the vulnerability manifests as a timing-related flaw that allows malicious actors to manipulate the sequence of operations within the camera firmware. This timing manipulation can occur during critical processing phases where the firmware handles multiple concurrent streams, creating race conditions or temporal inconsistencies that enable unauthorized modifications. The vulnerability operates at the firmware level, meaning it affects the underlying system operations rather than higher-level applications, making it particularly dangerous as it can bypass traditional application-level security controls. The flaw is classified under CWE-362, which specifically addresses race conditions that can lead to security vulnerabilities, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.008 for execution through firmware modification.
The operational impact of CVE-2021-1109 extends beyond simple data corruption, creating potential denial of service conditions that can affect multiple camera streams simultaneously. When unauthorized modifications occur, they can cause stream processing failures that result in complete loss of video feed integrity across affected systems. This vulnerability particularly impacts surveillance and monitoring applications where continuous, reliable video streams are critical for security operations. The cascading effect across multiple streams means that a single compromised camera can potentially disrupt an entire surveillance network, making this vulnerability especially concerning for enterprise security infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-1109 should focus on firmware integrity verification and temporal operation controls. Organizations should implement robust firmware update mechanisms with digital signature verification to prevent unauthorized modifications, while also establishing monitoring protocols to detect anomalous timing patterns in camera operations. The vulnerability requires careful attention to temporal dependencies in firmware processing and may benefit from implementing additional validation checks that verify the integrity of camera resource modifications before they are applied. System administrators should prioritize firmware updates from NVIDIA that address the specific timing-related issues, while also considering network segmentation to limit the potential impact of any successful exploitation attempts. The remediation approach must account for the multistep nature of the vulnerability, requiring comprehensive testing of timing-related operations across all affected camera systems to ensure complete protection against this class of timing-based attacks.