CVE-2026-47569 in GeForce
Summary
by MITRE • 09/30/2026
NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Linux contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer where a user could cause a type confusion via a handle recycle race. A successful exploit of this vulnerability might lead to code execution, denial of service, escalation of privileges, information disclosure, and data tampering.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2026
The NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Linux contains a critical security flaw within its kernel mode layer that stems from improper handling of object lifecycles during concurrent operations. Specifically, the vulnerability arises from a race condition associated with handle recycling mechanisms. In complex driver architectures like those used by high-performance graphics processing units, resources such as memory buffers and context handles are frequently allocated, utilized, and released to manage system load efficiently. The flaw occurs when there is insufficient synchronization between these allocation and deallocation processes, allowing an attacker to exploit the window of time where a handle reference may be reused or recycled before it has been fully invalidated in all relevant contexts. This lack of strict atomicity creates a scenario known as type confusion, where the kernel interprets data structures incorrectly due to mismatched types or states resulting from the race condition.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability is classified under CWE-367, which denotes Time-of-check to time-of-use (TOCTOU) race conditions, and more specifically relates to improper handling of type confusion as described in CWE-842. The core issue lies in the kernel mode execution environment where privilege levels are highest. When a user-space application interacts with the GPU driver through system calls or memory-mapped I/O, it passes handles that reference internal kernel objects. If an attacker can manipulate timing to trigger handle recycling while another thread is still referencing the old object state, they can cause the kernel to operate on corrupted or misinterpreted data structures. This breaks the fundamental assumption of type safety within the kernel space, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential exploitation paths that bypass standard security controls.
The operational impact of successfully exploiting this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted. Because the flaw exists in kernel mode, a successful exploit grants an attacker arbitrary code execution capabilities with system-level privileges. This directly leads to privilege escalation, allowing a low-privileged user account to gain root access or equivalent administrative rights over the host operating system. Furthermore, the instability introduced by type confusion can cause immediate denial of service conditions, resulting in system crashes, kernel panics, or unresponsive graphics subsystems that disrupt normal operations. Beyond availability and control, the vulnerability also poses significant risks for information disclosure and data tampering. An attacker could potentially read sensitive memory contents from other processes or modify critical system files and configurations, compromising the integrity and confidentiality of the entire host environment.
This type of kernel-level race condition is often associated with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers Exploitation for Privilege Escalation, as well as techniques related to defense evasion such as T1055 if used to inject malicious code into legitimate processes. The ability to execute arbitrary code in kernel space effectively neutralizes many user-space security mechanisms, including sandboxing and access control lists that rely on the integrity of the underlying operating system core. Consequently, this vulnerability represents a high-severity risk for any Linux-based infrastructure relying on NVIDIA GPU acceleration, particularly in multi-tenant environments or cloud computing platforms where isolation between users is paramount.
Mitigation strategies must focus on both immediate patching and long-term architectural improvements. The primary remediation step is to apply the latest security patches provided by NVIDIA that address this specific race condition within the kernel mode driver components. Organizations should prioritize updating their GPU drivers across all affected systems, ensuring compatibility with current Linux kernels. Additionally, implementing strict access controls for device files associated with the GPU can limit exposure to untrusted users until updates are applied. From a development perspective, future iterations of the driver architecture should enforce stricter synchronization primitives and reference counting mechanisms to prevent handle reuse before full invalidation. Regular security audits focusing on concurrency bugs and type safety in kernel modules will help identify similar vulnerabilities early in the software lifecycle, reducing the attack surface for potential exploits targeting system-level resources.