CVE-2024-0091 in GPU Display Driver
Summary
by MITRE • 06/14/2024
NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows and Linux contains a vulnerability where a user can cause an untrusted pointer dereference by executing a driver API. A successful exploit of this vulnerability might lead to denial of service, information disclosure, and data tampering.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-0091 resides within the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for both Windows and Linux operating systems, representing a critical security flaw that stems from improper input validation within the driver's application programming interface. This issue manifests as an untrusted pointer dereference condition that can be triggered through malicious execution of specific driver API calls, fundamentally compromising the driver's stability and security posture.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-476, which describes null pointer dereference conditions in software systems. The flaw occurs when the driver fails to properly validate pointer inputs received through its API interfaces, allowing an attacker to manipulate memory references that should remain protected or properly initialized. This improper validation creates an execution path where the driver attempts to access memory locations that may be invalid or uninitialized, leading to unpredictable behavior.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents multiple attack vectors that can severely compromise system integrity and availability. The potential for denial of service represents the most immediate threat, as successful exploitation can cause the graphics driver to crash or become unresponsive, effectively rendering the system's display capabilities non-functional. Additionally, the vulnerability enables information disclosure, where attackers can potentially extract sensitive data from kernel memory spaces through controlled pointer dereference operations. The data tampering capability further amplifies the risk, as adversaries might modify critical driver data structures or memory contents, potentially leading to persistent system compromise or privilege escalation.
The attack surface for this vulnerability extends across both Windows and Linux platforms, indicating a widespread impact that affects NVIDIA GPU users across different operating environments. The fact that this flaw exists within the display driver layer makes it particularly dangerous, as it can be exploited through standard user-level applications that interact with GPU resources, potentially bypassing traditional security boundaries that separate user and kernel spaces.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of ATT&CK framework tactic TA0005 (Defense Evasion) and technique T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter), as exploitation may involve crafting specific API calls to trigger the vulnerable code paths. The vulnerability also relates to TA0004 (Privilege Escalation) and T1543 (Create or Modify System Process) when considering potential escalation paths from user-level access to kernel-level control.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate driver updates from NVIDIA, as these patches will contain the necessary code modifications to properly validate pointer inputs and prevent unauthorized memory access. System administrators should also implement monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous API call patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while maintaining strict access controls to prevent unauthorized users from executing potentially malicious driver operations. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing runtime protections such as kernel address space layout randomization and control flow integrity mechanisms to further reduce the exploitability of similar vulnerabilities.