CVE-2023-0184: NVIDIA GPU Display Driver DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2023-0184 Overview

NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows and Linux contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer handler which may lead to denial of service, escalation of privileges, information disclosure, and data tampering. This vulnerability affects the core kernel mode component responsible for handling GPU display operations, making it a significant security concern for systems utilizing NVIDIA graphics hardware.

Critical Impact

Local attackers with low privileges can exploit this kernel-level vulnerability to achieve privilege escalation, cause denial of service, disclose sensitive information, or tamper with system data across both Windows and Linux platforms.

Affected Products

• NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows
• NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Linux
• NVIDIA GeForce
• NVIDIA Quadro
• NVIDIA RTX
• NVIDIA Tesla
• NVIDIA NVS
• NVIDIA Studio

Discovery Timeline

• April 22, 2023 - CVE-2023-0184 published to NVD
• November 21, 2024 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2023-0184

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability resides in the kernel mode layer handler of the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver. The kernel mode layer is a critical component that operates with elevated system privileges to manage hardware interactions between the operating system and the GPU. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-822 (Untrusted Pointer Dereference), indicating that the driver may improperly handle pointer operations, allowing an attacker to manipulate memory references.

The exploitation requires local access to the target system and low privileges, but does not require user interaction. A successful exploit can result in complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. The scope remains unchanged, meaning the vulnerability is contained within the security boundary of the vulnerable component.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2023-0184 is an untrusted pointer dereference vulnerability (CWE-822) within the kernel mode layer handler. This flaw occurs when the driver processes pointer values without adequate validation, allowing an attacker to supply crafted input that causes the driver to dereference memory locations controlled by the attacker. In kernel mode operations, such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous as they can lead to arbitrary kernel memory access.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local, requiring the attacker to have established access to the target system. The exploitation process involves:

1. Initial Access: The attacker gains local access to a system with a vulnerable NVIDIA GPU Display Driver installed
2. Crafted Input: The attacker sends specially crafted requests to the kernel mode layer handler through exposed driver interfaces
3. Pointer Manipulation: The malicious input triggers the untrusted pointer dereference condition in the driver code
4. Privilege Escalation: By controlling the dereferenced memory, the attacker can execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges

The vulnerability affects both Windows and Linux implementations of the driver, indicating a shared codebase or similar architectural patterns in the kernel mode components across platforms. Attackers with low-level system access, such as through malware or a compromised user account, could leverage this vulnerability to gain complete system control.

Detection Methods for CVE-2023-0184

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected system crashes or blue screens (BSOD on Windows, kernel panics on Linux) related to NVIDIA driver components
• Unusual privilege escalation attempts originating from processes interacting with GPU driver interfaces
• Abnormal IOCTL calls to NVIDIA driver device files or interfaces
• Memory access violations or corruption in kernel space associated with nvlddmkm.sys (Windows) or nvidia.ko (Linux)

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for suspicious IOCTL requests to NVIDIA driver interfaces that deviate from normal application behavior
• Implement kernel-level integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized modifications or memory access patterns
• Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to identify privilege escalation attempts following GPU driver interactions
• Deploy behavioral analysis to detect processes attempting to exploit driver vulnerabilities through anomalous system calls

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for GPU driver operations where supported to aid forensic analysis
• Monitor system event logs for driver crash events and kernel error messages related to NVIDIA components
• Configure alerting for repeated driver failures or system instability that may indicate exploitation attempts
• Implement file integrity monitoring on critical driver files to detect unauthorized modifications

How to Mitigate CVE-2023-0184

Immediate Actions Required

• Update NVIDIA GPU Display Drivers to the latest patched versions immediately across all affected systems
• Prioritize patching on systems where users have local access or that are exposed to potential insider threats
• Inventory all systems running NVIDIA GPU drivers to ensure comprehensive patch coverage
• Restrict local access to critical systems where driver updates cannot be immediately applied

Patch Information

NVIDIA has released security updates addressing this vulnerability. Organizations should obtain the latest driver versions from the NVIDIA Security Bulletin. Linux distributions such as Gentoo have also issued security advisories; refer to Gentoo GLSA 202310-02 for distribution-specific guidance.

Ensure all affected product lines are updated, including:

• GeForce driver packages
• Quadro and RTX professional drivers
• Tesla datacenter drivers
• NVS and Studio driver packages

Workarounds

• Limit local user access to systems with vulnerable NVIDIA drivers until patches can be applied
• Apply principle of least privilege to reduce the number of users with local access to affected systems
• Consider disabling non-essential GPU functionality in security-critical environments as a temporary measure
• Implement application allowlisting to prevent unauthorized programs from interacting with GPU driver interfaces

# Check current NVIDIA driver version on Linux
nvidia-smi --query-gpu=driver_version --format=csv,noheader

# Verify driver version on Windows via PowerShell
Get-WmiObject Win32_PnPSignedDriver | Where-Object {$_.DeviceName -like "*NVIDIA*"} | Select-Object DeviceName, DriverVersion