CVE-2024-0124 in CUDA Toolkit
Summary
by MITRE • 10/03/2024
NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit for Windows and Linux contains a vulnerability in the nvdisam command line tool, where a user can cause nvdisasm to read freed memory by running it on a malformed ELF file. A successful exploit of this vulnerability might lead to a limited denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/04/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-0124 affects the NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit across both Windows and Linux operating systems, specifically targeting the nvdisasm command line utility. This flaw represents a classic use-after-free vulnerability that occurs when the tool processes malformed ELF files, creating conditions where memory previously allocated to the program is accessed after it has been deallocated. The nvdisasm utility is designed to disassemble NVIDIA CUDA binary files, making it an essential component for developers and system administrators working with GPU compute applications. The vulnerability stems from inadequate memory management within the ELF file parsing logic, where the tool fails to properly validate input file structures before attempting to access memory regions that may have already been freed.
The technical nature of this vulnerability places it firmly within the CWE-416 category of Use After Free conditions, which is classified as a critical memory safety issue in the Common Weakness Enumeration taxonomy. When a user executes nvdisasm on a crafted ELF file, the tool's parsing routine processes the malformed input and subsequently attempts to access memory that was freed during the parsing sequence. This memory access violation typically results in a segmentation fault or similar crash, leading to a limited denial of service condition. The impact is constrained to the specific tool execution context, as the vulnerability does not appear to enable arbitrary code execution or privilege escalation, though it can effectively prevent legitimate use of the disassembly utility.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a moderate risk to systems that rely heavily on the nvdisasm utility for debugging or analysis purposes, particularly in development environments where developers frequently process binary files from various sources. The limited denial of service impact means that while the system remains functional overall, the specific tool becomes unavailable for legitimate use cases, potentially disrupting development workflows and debugging operations. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious ELF files designed to trigger the memory access pattern, causing the nvdisasm tool to crash and preventing users from performing necessary disassembly operations. The vulnerability affects systems running NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit versions prior to the security patch, making it particularly relevant for organizations maintaining legacy development environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-0124 should prioritize the immediate application of NVIDIA's security patches and updates to the CUDA Toolkit, which address the underlying memory management issues in the nvdisasm utility. System administrators should implement input validation measures to prevent processing of untrusted ELF files through the disassembly tool, while also monitoring for any suspicious file execution patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of systems running the vulnerable toolkit, particularly in development environments where the tool is frequently used. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper memory management in security-critical applications and underscores the necessity of regular security updates for development tools. Additionally, security teams should monitor for potential exploitation attempts through automated scanning tools that can detect crafted ELF files designed to trigger this specific memory access pattern, as outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework's techniques for execution and privilege escalation.