CVE-2024-0075 in GPU Display Driver
Summary
by MITRE • 03/28/2024
NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows and Linux contains a vulnerability where a user may cause a NULL-pointer dereference by accessing passed parameters the validity of which has not been checked. A successful exploit of this vulnerability may lead to denial of service and limited information disclosure.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/28/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-0075 resides within the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver components for both Windows and Linux operating systems, representing a critical security flaw that stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms. This issue manifests when the driver processes user-provided parameters without proper verification of their validity, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by malicious actors to disrupt system operations. The flaw specifically targets the driver's handling of display-related operations where parameter validation should occur but fails to do so effectively.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability follows a classic null pointer dereference pattern that falls under CWE-476, which defines null pointer dereference as a condition where a program attempts to access memory through a null pointer reference. In this case, the NVIDIA driver's display processing subsystem accepts parameters from user-space applications without performing adequate checks to ensure these parameters are properly initialized or contain valid data structures. When the driver subsequently attempts to dereference these uninitialized or improperly validated pointers, the system experiences a segmentation fault or access violation that results in system instability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enable limited information disclosure, making it particularly concerning for environments where system stability and data integrity are paramount. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting specific inputs that trigger the null pointer dereference, causing the display driver to crash or hang, thereby rendering graphical functionality unavailable to users. The denial of service aspect can be particularly disruptive in enterprise environments where graphics processing is critical for user productivity or system monitoring. Additionally, the limited information disclosure component may allow adversaries to extract sensitive data from memory locations that should remain protected, though the scope of such disclosure is constrained by the nature of the vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-0075 should prioritize immediate patch deployment from NVIDIA, as the company has likely released driver updates addressing this specific issue. System administrators should implement comprehensive monitoring of display driver processes to detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as exploitation may involve crafting specific graphical commands that trigger the vulnerable code paths. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of potentially malicious graphics-related applications and maintain regular vulnerability assessments of their graphics driver components to identify similar issues before they can be exploited in the wild.