CVE-2026-47506 in Display Driver
Summary
by MITRE • 09/30/2026
NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows contains a vulnerability in the kernel-mode color transform path where excessive kernel stack use occurs when evaluating YCbCr420 display emulation. A successful exploit of this vulnerability might lead to denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2026
The identified vulnerability resides within the NVIDIA Graphics Processing Unit display driver for Microsoft Windows, specifically affecting the kernel-mode component responsible for color transform operations. This subsystem is critical for managing how pixel data is processed and rendered on screen, particularly when handling complex color space conversions such as YCbCr420 emulation. The flaw manifests during the evaluation of these specific display formats, where the software fails to adequately manage memory allocation or stack usage within the privileged kernel environment. In operating system architecture, the kernel operates at a higher privilege level than user-mode applications and has direct access to hardware resources. Consequently, any instability in this layer can have severe consequences for system stability and security posture.
The technical nature of this flaw is characterized by excessive consumption of the kernel stack space. The Windows kernel utilizes a limited amount of memory on each thread's stack for storing local variables, return addresses, and other temporary data during function execution. When the driver processes YCbCr420 display emulation requests, it performs calculations or transformations that require more stack depth than is safely allocated. This overconsumption leads to a condition known as kernel stack overflow. Unlike user-mode buffer overflows which might allow for arbitrary code execution under specific conditions, kernel stack overflows primarily result in memory corruption that disrupts the normal flow of control within the operating system core. The immediate technical outcome is typically an access violation or a critical error state detected by the Windows bug check mechanism.
From an operational perspective, the primary impact of this vulnerability is denial of service against the affected workstation or server. Because the flaw triggers in kernel mode, it causes the entire operating system to crash rather than just the application that initiated the display request. This results in a blue screen of death (BSOD) with error codes typically associated with stack buffer overflows or invalid memory access within driver code. For end-users, this manifests as an unexpected system reboot or freeze, leading to data loss for unsaved work and interruption of critical services running on the machine. While the vulnerability description indicates that a successful exploit leads primarily to denial of service, it is important to note that kernel vulnerabilities often carry latent risks. In some scenarios, carefully crafted malicious input could potentially be leveraged to escalate privileges or execute arbitrary code if additional conditions are met, although the primary observed behavior in this specific instance is system instability and crash.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) standards, specifically CWE-124 which describes Buffer Underwrite, though more accurately it relates to stack-based buffer overflow dynamics where memory limits are exceeded due to insufficient bounds checking or excessive recursion depth during color transformation calculations. In terms of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability falls under the category of Initial Access via Exploitation of Remote Services if triggered remotely, but given its nature as a local driver flaw, it is more closely associated with Local Privilege Escalation vectors where an attacker might use denial-of-service conditions to disrupt security monitoring or trigger crash dumps that could be analyzed for further exploitation. It also relates to the broader category of software faults related to improper memory management in system-level components.
Mitigation strategies focus on addressing the root cause within the driver code and managing exposure through operational controls. The most effective remediation is applying the latest patches provided by NVIDIA, which include fixes that optimize stack usage or implement stricter bounds checking during YCbCr420 emulation processing. Administrators should ensure that all GPU drivers are updated to versions where this kernel-mode flaw has been resolved. Additionally, enabling Windows Defender Exploit Guard features such as Kernel Mode ASLR and Data Execution Prevention can help mitigate the potential impact of memory corruption vulnerabilities by randomizing memory addresses and preventing code execution in non-executable memory regions. Limiting user privileges to standard accounts rather than administrators reduces the attack surface for local exploitation attempts. Regular monitoring of system event logs for critical driver errors can also aid in early detection of attempted exploits or accidental triggers before they lead to widespread service disruption.