CVE-2024-0085 in vGPU Software
Summary
by MITRE • 06/14/2024
NVIDIA vGPU software for Windows and Linux contains a vulnerability where unprivileged users could execute privileged operations on the host. A successful exploit of this vulnerability might lead to data tampering, escalation of privileges, and denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-0085 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within NVIDIA vGPU software designed for both Windows and Linux operating systems. This security weakness exists in the virtual GPU implementation that allows multiple virtual machines to share a single physical GPU resource while maintaining isolation between guest environments. The flaw specifically enables unprivileged user accounts within virtualized environments to execute operations that should only be accessible to privileged system processes or administrators. Such a vulnerability fundamentally undermines the security model of virtualized GPU environments where isolation is paramount for maintaining system integrity and preventing unauthorized access to critical system resources.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate access controls and privilege validation mechanisms within the vGPU software components. When unprivileged users attempt to interact with GPU resources through the virtualized interface, the system fails to properly validate whether the requesting user possesses sufficient privileges to perform the requested operations. This weakness creates an attack surface where malicious actors can leverage legitimate GPU interaction pathways to gain elevated system privileges. The vulnerability manifests when the software does not adequately enforce kernel-level access controls or fails to validate user permissions before executing privileged system calls. The flaw may involve improper handling of GPU memory management operations, device driver interfaces, or system call interception mechanisms that should prevent unauthorized privilege escalation.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-0085 extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass broader system compromise capabilities that align with multiple attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework. Successful exploitation could enable attackers to manipulate system data integrity, establish persistent access through privilege elevation, and potentially cause system instability through denial of service conditions. The vulnerability affects organizations utilizing NVIDIA vGPU solutions in virtualized environments, particularly those deploying GPU-accelerated applications across multiple tenants or user accounts. This includes cloud service providers, enterprise data centers, and research institutions that rely on virtualized GPU resources. The implications are particularly severe in multi-tenant environments where one compromised user account could potentially affect the entire virtualized infrastructure, creating a vector for lateral movement and data exfiltration.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying available security patches from NVIDIA, implementing network segmentation to limit access to vGPU resources, and monitoring for suspicious privilege escalation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-276, which addresses improper privilege management, and may also relate to CWE-782, concerning exposed service ports or interfaces. Security teams should conduct comprehensive assessments of their virtualized GPU environments to identify and remediate similar access control weaknesses. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting T1068, which involves the exploitation of vulnerabilities to gain elevated privileges. Additional protective measures include implementing least privilege access controls, enabling detailed logging of GPU resource access attempts, and establishing automated monitoring for anomalous system behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing micro-segmentation strategies to limit the blast radius of potential exploitation and ensure that virtualized GPU resources are properly isolated between different user groups or applications.