CVE-2026-47555 in GeForce
Summary
by MITRE • 09/30/2026
NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows and Linux contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer where a user could cause uninitialized kernel memory to be copied back to userspace. A successful exploit of this vulnerability might lead to information disclosure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2026
The identified security flaw resides within the NVIDIA Graphics Processing Unit display driver, specifically affecting both Windows and Linux operating systems. This vulnerability is located in the kernel mode layer of the software stack, which operates with elevated privileges compared to user-mode applications. The core technical issue involves improper handling of memory initialization states during data transfer operations between the kernel space and userspace. When specific IOCTL (Input/Output Control) requests are processed by the driver, there exists a code path where uninitialized portions of kernel memory structures are inadvertently copied back to the requesting application. This behavior violates fundamental principles of secure software development regarding memory safety and state management within privileged execution contexts.
From a technical perspective, this flaw is classified under CWE-209 as an Information Exposure Through an Error Message or through Uninitialized Memory Access. The vulnerability allows a local user with access to the GPU device interface to trigger the copying of raw kernel memory contents into their own process address space. Because the copied data originates from uninitialized regions, it may contain sensitive information that was previously stored in those memory locations but not cleared before reuse. This could include cryptographic keys, session tokens, internal driver state variables, or other privileged data structures that were left over from previous operations. The lack of proper zeroing or validation checks prior to the copy operation creates a direct channel for leaking this confidential information.
The operational impact of exploiting this vulnerability is primarily centered on unauthorized information disclosure. An attacker who successfully exploits this flaw can read arbitrary kernel memory contents, potentially leading to further system compromise if combined with other vulnerabilities. While the immediate effect is limited to reading data rather than executing code or modifying system state, the exposure of sensitive internal structures can facilitate more advanced attacks such as address space layout randomization bypasses or credential theft. The severity is heightened by the fact that it affects both major desktop operating systems, increasing the potential attack surface for users relying on NVIDIA hardware for professional graphics workloads or gaming.
This vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1057, which covers Process Memory Discovery, as well as T1083, File and Directory Discovery, depending on how the leaked memory is interpreted by the attacker. It also relates to CWE-942 in contexts where kernel data exposure leads to privilege escalation pathways. To mitigate this risk, users should ensure that their NVIDIA GPU drivers are updated to the latest version provided by the vendor, as patches typically involve adding proper initialization routines and bounds checking before memory copies occur. System administrators should enforce strict access controls on device nodes associated with GPU interfaces to limit which local accounts can interact with the driver kernel components. Additionally, deploying runtime application whitelisting solutions can help prevent unauthorized processes from issuing suspicious IOCTL requests that might trigger this vulnerability path.