CVE-2026-47589 in GPU Display Driver
Summary
by MITRE • 09/30/2026
NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows and Linux contains a vulnerability where an unprivileged user may cause a use-after-free condition by issuing a sequence of driver commands. A successful exploit of this vulnerability might lead to code execution, escalation of privileges, denial of service, and information disclosure.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/01/2026
The NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows and Linux contains a critical security flaw that allows an unprivileged user to trigger a use-after-free condition through the issuance of specific sequences of driver commands. This vulnerability resides within the kernel-mode components of the graphics driver stack, which operates with high privileges on the host system. The core technical issue stems from improper memory management practices where the driver fails to properly validate or update pointers after freeing allocated memory structures. When a user-space application sends a carefully crafted sequence of ioctl calls or command buffers to the GPU scheduler, it can manipulate internal state such that previously freed kernel objects are accessed again. This classic use-after-free scenario creates an opportunity for arbitrary code execution because the attacker can control the content written into the reused memory location, effectively hijacking function pointers or return addresses within the driver's execution context.
From a technical perspective, this flaw represents a significant breakdown in boundary enforcement between user space and kernel space. The GPU display driver acts as a bridge, translating high-level graphics API calls into low-level hardware commands. During this translation process, various data structures are allocated on the heap to manage rendering contexts, buffer objects, or synchronization primitives. If these allocations are not strictly tracked for their lifecycle, particularly in concurrent multi-threaded environments common in modern gaming and professional applications, a race condition can occur. An attacker exploits this by freeing an object while another thread still holds a reference to it. Subsequently, when the driver attempts to access that stale pointer, it interacts with memory that may have been reallocated for malicious purposes or contains sensitive kernel data. This mechanism is particularly dangerous because GPU drivers often run in Ring 0 on Windows and equivalent privileged modes on Linux, granting any successfully executed code full control over the operating system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for privilege escalation. Since an unprivileged user can trigger the exploit without requiring administrative rights or special permissions, it serves as a potent entry point for lateral movement within a compromised network or local attack scenarios. A successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution with system-level privileges, allowing attackers to install malware, create backdoors, or modify critical system files. Furthermore, the vulnerability facilitates denial of service by causing kernel panics or driver crashes when invalid memory is accessed, disrupting graphical output and potentially freezing the entire workstation. Information disclosure is also a significant risk, as reading from freed memory may expose cryptographic keys, session tokens, or other sensitive data stored in adjacent heap regions, compromising user privacy and organizational security posture.
In terms of industry classification standards, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which describes Use After Free conditions where software continues to use a pointer after it has been freed. This often leads to unpredictable behavior including crashes, corruption, or code execution depending on how the memory is reused. Additionally, from an offensive security framework perspective such as MITRE ATT&CK, this exploit technique falls under T1055, specifically Process Injection via DLL side-loading or direct kernel object manipulation, and relates to privilege escalation tactics like T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation. The ability of a low-privileged process to escalate rights by exploiting driver flaws is a common vector in advanced persistent threat campaigns targeting high-value targets where physical access or initial foothold has been established but administrative credentials are unavailable.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve the immediate application of vendor-provided patches that address the memory management logic within the GPU display drivers for both Windows and Linux platforms. Organizations should prioritize updating NVIDIA graphics drivers to versions that include fixes for this specific use-after-free condition, ensuring that pointer invalidation occurs immediately after deallocation and that reference counting mechanisms are robust against race conditions. Beyond patching, defense-in-depth measures such as enabling kernel memory integrity features on Windows or using SELinux/AppArmor profiles on Linux can restrict the impact of a successful exploit by limiting what actions privileged processes can perform. Regular auditing of driver code for proper lifecycle management and employing static analysis tools during development phases are also recommended to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future releases, thereby reducing the attack surface available to potential adversaries seeking to compromise system integrity through graphics subsystems.