CVE-2026-47592 in GPU Display Driver
Summary
by MITRE • 09/30/2026
NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows and Linux contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer where an unprivileged user could cause an out-of-bounds read. 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 identified vulnerability resides within the kernel-mode components of the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for both Windows and Linux operating systems. This specific flaw is categorized as an out-of-bounds read, which corresponds to CWE-125 in the Common Weakness Enumeration standard. In this context, the driver fails to properly validate memory access boundaries when processing certain display-related commands or data structures sent from user-space applications. Because the vulnerability exists within a kernel-mode component, it operates with high system privileges, granting any process that can interact with the GPU device object significant potential for exploitation. The root cause typically involves insufficient checks on array indices or buffer lengths before reading memory contents, allowing an attacker to read beyond the allocated limits of a specific data structure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its location in kernel space and the nature of out-of-bounds reads. An unprivileged user can trigger this flaw by sending specially crafted input to the GPU driver interface. A successful exploitation may lead to information disclosure, where sensitive memory contents such as cryptographic keys, session tokens, or other processes' data are leaked to the attacker. Furthermore, depending on the specific memory layout and compiler optimizations, an out-of-bounds read can serve as a primitive for more complex attacks. It can facilitate denial of service by causing kernel panics or system crashes through invalid memory access patterns that trigger protection mechanisms like page faults in unexpected ways. In some scenarios, this vulnerability may also contribute to escalation of privileges if the leaked information allows an attacker to bypass security controls or manipulate subsequent execution flows.
From a threat intelligence perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK techniques related to unauthorized system resource consumption and potential data exfiltration via memory scraping. The ability for an unprivileged user to trigger kernel-mode faults represents a significant breach of the isolation boundary between user applications and the operating system core. This type of flaw is particularly dangerous in multi-user environments or cloud computing contexts where multiple tenants share physical hardware resources managed by such drivers. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability as part of a chain, using information disclosure to map memory layouts for subsequent exploitation attempts targeting privilege escalation vectors like CVE-2021-3490 or similar kernel flaws.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve the immediate application of vendor-provided patches that update the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver to versions where boundary checks have been strengthened and input validation is rigorously enforced in the kernel-mode layer. System administrators should prioritize updating drivers on workstations, servers, and virtualization hosts running Windows or Linux distributions supported by NVIDIA. Additionally, implementing strict device control policies can limit which users are allowed to interact with GPU devices directly, thereby reducing the attack surface for unprivileged processes. Security monitoring solutions should be configured to detect anomalous behavior associated with kernel-mode crashes or unexpected memory access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts of this vulnerability. Regular auditing of driver versions and adherence to NVIDIA's security advisories remain critical components of maintaining a secure computing environment against such low-level hardware interface vulnerabilities.