CVE-2021-23217 in Maxwell
Summary
by MITRE • 11/20/2021
NVIDIA GPU and Tegra hardware contain a vulnerability in the internal microcontroller which may allow a user with elevated privileges to instantiate a specifically timed DMA write to corrupt code execution, which may impact confidentiality, integrity, or availability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/25/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-23217 resides within NVIDIA's hardware implementations including both GPU and Tegra SoC devices, representing a critical flaw in the internal microcontroller architecture. This weakness stems from insufficient protection mechanisms that govern memory access patterns and data flow within the hardware domain, creating potential attack vectors for adversaries with elevated privileges. The vulnerability specifically targets the DMA (Direct Memory Access) functionality which allows hardware components to transfer data directly to and from memory without CPU intervention, a feature essential for performance but potentially dangerous when improperly secured.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through carefully orchestrated timing of DMA write operations that can manipulate code execution flow within the microcontroller's memory space. Attackers with elevated privileges can leverage this timing-sensitive approach to corrupt executable code, potentially leading to unauthorized code execution or memory corruption that affects the system's fundamental operational integrity. The flaw essentially creates a pathway for privilege escalation attacks where legitimate elevated users can abuse their access rights to compromise system security boundaries. This represents a sophisticated attack surface that combines hardware-level timing manipulation with memory corruption techniques, making it particularly challenging to detect and prevent through traditional software-based security measures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple security dimensions including confidentiality, integrity, and availability as outlined in the original description. Confidentiality breaches can occur when attackers gain access to protected memory regions or sensitive data stored within the GPU or Tegra memory spaces. Integrity compromises manifest through code corruption that can alter system behavior or disable critical security features, while availability risks emerge from potential system crashes or lockups that could render the hardware inoperable. The vulnerability affects not just individual devices but entire computing platforms that rely on NVIDIA's hardware implementations, creating widespread potential for system compromise across various deployment scenarios from consumer devices to enterprise infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-23217 must address both the hardware and software layers that contribute to this vulnerability's exploitability. Organizations should prioritize applying NVIDIA's official firmware updates and driver patches that address the specific microcontroller protection mechanisms. System administrators should implement strict access controls and privilege management to limit the number of users who can potentially exploit this vulnerability through elevated privileges. The mitigation approach should also include monitoring for unusual DMA activity patterns and implementing hardware security modules that can detect and prevent unauthorized memory access attempts. From a compliance perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 which addresses memory corruption vulnerabilities, and represents a significant concern under ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques. Organizations must also consider the broader implications for their security posture, as this vulnerability could potentially enable more sophisticated attacks that bypass traditional security controls, making comprehensive system hardening essential for protecting against cascading security incidents.