CVE-2026-47517 in GeForce
Summary
by MITRE • 09/30/2026
NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Linux contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode driver where a local user may cause a null pointer dereference by submitting a crafted ioctl. 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 NVIDIA GPU display driver for Linux, specifically within its kernel-mode component, exhibits a critical flaw that allows for the exploitation via IOCTL interfaces. This vulnerability stems from insufficient validation or handling of input parameters submitted by local users through specific ioctl calls designed to interact with the graphics hardware. When an unprivileged user submits a crafted request containing malformed data structures or invalid pointers, the driver fails to properly check these inputs before attempting to dereference them in kernel space. This lack of rigorous boundary checking and type validation creates a scenario where the operating system's memory management subsystem is forced to access a null address, triggering a fault condition that crashes the affected process or potentially destabilizes the entire system depending on how the error propagates through the driver stack.
From a technical perspective, this issue aligns with CWE-476, which describes a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability. In the context of Linux kernel development, such errors are particularly severe because they occur in ring zero, where standard memory protection mechanisms like user-space isolation do not apply directly to prevent immediate system instability. The attacker does not need elevated privileges to initiate this exploit; merely having local access and the ability to open device nodes associated with NVIDIA GPUs is sufficient. By carefully constructing a binary payload that triggers the specific code path responsible for handling display-related commands, an adversary can force the kernel driver into an undefined state. This often results in a kernel panic or oops message, effectively rendering the graphical subsystem unusable until the system is rebooted.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is primarily centered around denial of service against local users and potentially remote services that rely on stable GPU availability for computation or display output. For desktop environments, this manifests as frozen screens, crashed window managers, or complete system hangs requiring a hard reset. In server environments utilizing GPUs for compute tasks such as machine learning training or scientific simulations, the consequence is interrupted processing jobs and potential data loss if checkpoints were not saved prior to the crash. While the primary impact is availability rather than confidentiality or integrity, the ease of exploitation by any local user poses a significant risk in multi-tenant environments where trust boundaries between users are critical for maintaining service continuity.
This vulnerability maps directly to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1499, specifically Endpoint Denial of Service via resource exhaustion or crash induction methods like OS Credential Dumping prerequisites if the instability leads to unexpected reboots that might bypass certain security controls during startup sequences. It also relates to T1053 Scheduled Task/Job as a potential persistence mechanism if an attacker were to automate repeated crashes to keep a system unstable for other malicious purposes, though the primary vector here is direct exploitation via IOCTLs. The attack complexity is low due to the local nature of the exploit and the straightforward mechanics required to trigger the null pointer dereference without needing complex privilege escalation chains initially.
Mitigation strategies should focus on both immediate patching and long-term architectural improvements. Administrators must apply the latest NVIDIA driver updates that address this specific IOCTL validation flaw, ensuring that all input parameters are rigorously checked for validity before being passed deeper into the kernel execution path. Additionally, enabling Kernel Self-Protection features such as KASLR can help mitigate exploitation attempts by randomizing memory addresses, although it does not prevent the crash itself. For environments where local user access is restricted or monitored closely, implementing strict device node permissions and auditing tools to detect abnormal ioctl patterns can provide an additional layer of defense against automated abuse of this vulnerability until patches are fully deployed across all affected systems.