CVE-2026-47554 in GPU Display Driver
Summary
by MITRE • 09/30/2026
NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Linux contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer where improper verification of cryptographic signatures may cause signature verification to be bypassed under memory pressure. A successful exploit of this vulnerability might lead to denial of service and data tampering.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2026
The NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Linux presents a critical security flaw within its kernel-mode component, specifically concerning the integrity mechanisms used during driver initialization or module loading processes. This vulnerability stems from an improper verification procedure for cryptographic signatures that are essential for ensuring the authenticity and integrity of code executed in privileged kernel space. Under normal operating conditions, the driver relies on these digital signatures to confirm that only trusted, unmodified binaries are allowed to execute with high-level system privileges. However, a specific edge case involving memory pressure can disrupt this verification chain, creating a window where the security checks may be bypassed or rendered ineffective. This failure in validation logic represents a significant deviation from secure coding practices required for kernel-mode software, which must maintain strict integrity controls regardless of resource availability.
The technical root cause lies in how the driver handles state transitions and error recovery when system memory is constrained. When the operating system experiences high memory pressure, it may trigger out-of-memory conditions or force aggressive page reclamation strategies that can interfere with the timing or completion status checks associated with cryptographic signature validation routines. Instead of failing securely by rejecting unsigned or improperly signed code, the vulnerable implementation may proceed to load and execute the driver components despite incomplete or failed verification steps. This behavior effectively nullifies the protective barrier provided by digital signatures, allowing potentially malicious or corrupted code to gain kernel-level execution rights. Such a flaw is particularly dangerous because it exploits resource exhaustion scenarios that can be induced locally by an attacker through memory-intensive operations, thereby turning a system stability issue into a security bypass mechanism.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, primarily manifesting as potential denial of service and data tampering capabilities for an authenticated local user. By exploiting the signature verification bypass, an attacker could inject malicious code into the kernel space, leading to complete system compromise or instability that results in crashes and unavailability of GPU services. The denial of service aspect arises from the ability to trigger unstable states within the driver, causing the graphics subsystem or even the entire operating system to become non-responsive. Furthermore, data tampering becomes possible as an attacker with local access could manipulate sensitive information processed by the GPU, such as cryptographic keys stored in memory or user data being rendered and transmitted. This undermines the trust model of the computing environment, as kernel-level code has unrestricted access to all system resources and can hide its presence from standard security monitoring tools.
From a classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-295 Improper Certificate Validation, specifically regarding the failure to verify cryptographic signatures under certain conditions, and potentially CWE-400 Uncontrolled Resource Consumption if the memory pressure aspect is leveraged as part of an attack vector. In terms of adversary tactics, it relates to MITRE ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation via kernel exploitation and defense evasion through bypassing integrity checks. To mitigate this risk, organizations should ensure that NVIDIA GPU drivers are updated to versions where the signature verification logic has been hardened against memory pressure edge cases. System administrators can also implement additional controls such as enforcing secure boot configurations with strict key management policies and monitoring for unusual memory usage patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Regular patching cycles and adherence to vendor security advisories remain the most effective defense strategy against this class of kernel-mode vulnerabilities.