CVE-2024-0128 in vGPU
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2024
NVIDIA vGPU software contains a vulnerability in the Virtual GPU Manager that allows a user of the guest OS to access global resources. A successful exploit of this vulnerability might lead to information disclosure, data tampering, and escalation of privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-0128 resides within NVIDIA vGPU software's Virtual GPU Manager component, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the fundamental isolation principles of virtualized graphics environments. This vulnerability specifically targets the hypervisor-mediated resource management system that governs how virtual graphics processing units interact with underlying physical hardware resources. The flaw enables unauthorized access to global resources that should remain strictly isolated between virtual machines, creating a significant breach in the security model that protects multi-tenant GPU virtualization environments. Such a vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise data centers and cloud computing infrastructures where multiple organizations share the same physical hardware while maintaining strict security boundaries between their workloads.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls and resource management within the Virtual GPU Manager's kernel-level components. Attackers exploiting this weakness can manipulate the virtualization layer to gain unauthorized access to shared GPU memory spaces, context switches, and other global resources that typically remain protected from guest operating system access. This flaw essentially allows a malicious user within a guest OS to bypass the normal isolation mechanisms that separate different virtualized environments, potentially enabling information disclosure through memory scraping techniques, data tampering by modifying shared GPU resources, and privilege escalation by leveraging access to kernel-level components that control hardware access. The vulnerability manifests when guest operating systems attempt to interact with GPU resources through standard virtualization interfaces, where proper validation and access control checks fail to prevent unauthorized resource access.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-0128 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it creates a pathway for attackers to compromise entire virtualized environments and potentially escalate their privileges to system-level access. Organizations utilizing NVIDIA vGPU solutions for cloud infrastructure, virtual desktop infrastructure, or multi-tenant computing environments face significant risks from this vulnerability, as it could enable attackers to access sensitive data from other virtual machines running on the same physical hardware. The implications are particularly severe in scenarios where the guest operating systems are not fully trusted, such as in public cloud environments where multiple customers share the same underlying infrastructure. This vulnerability could facilitate advanced persistent threats where attackers establish persistent access to shared resources, potentially leading to complete compromise of the virtualized environment and subsequent lateral movement to other systems within the network.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-0128 should prioritize immediate patch deployment from NVIDIA, as the vulnerability requires core software updates to address the underlying access control flaws in the Virtual GPU Manager. Organizations should implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect unusual GPU resource access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while also conducting thorough security assessments of their virtualized environments to identify potential compromise indicators. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues and can be mapped to ATT&CK techniques such as T1068 Local Privilege Escalation and T1566 Credential Access, highlighting the multi-faceted nature of the threat. Security teams should also consider implementing additional controls such as hypervisor-level monitoring, regular vulnerability scanning of virtualized environments, and strict access control policies for GPU resource allocation. Organizations should also review their incident response procedures to ensure they can quickly detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts, given that the vulnerability affects the core virtualization infrastructure that underpins many enterprise security solutions.