CVE-2026-24192: NVIDIA Linux Driver Buffer Overflow Flaw

CVE-2026-24192 Overview

CVE-2026-24192 affects the NVIDIA Display Driver for Linux. The flaw is an incorrect conversion between numeric types [CWE-681] that produces a heap buffer overflow during driver processing. A local attacker holding low-privilege access on the host can trigger the condition without user interaction.

Successful exploitation may result in denial of service, escalation of privileges, information disclosure, data tampering, or code execution within the kernel driver context. Because the driver runs with elevated privileges, an attacker who controls the overflow can pivot from a standard user account to full system compromise.

Critical Impact

Local low-privileged users on Linux hosts running the NVIDIA Display Driver may achieve kernel-level code execution and complete system takeover.

Affected Products

• NVIDIA Display Driver for Linux (see NVIDIA Support Answer 5821 for affected branches and versions)
• Linux systems running vulnerable NVIDIA GPU driver packages
• Workstations, servers, and cloud instances using NVIDIA discrete GPUs on Linux

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-05-26 - CVE-2026-24192 published to the National Vulnerability Database
• 2026-05-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-24192

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the NVIDIA Display Driver for Linux and is classified as [CWE-681] Incorrect Conversion between Numeric Types. The driver converts a numeric value between types of different size or signedness, and the converted value no longer represents the original quantity correctly. The mismatched value is then used as a size or index parameter during a heap allocation or copy operation.

The attack is local in nature. An attacker must already have the ability to execute code on the target Linux host with low privileges, such as a standard user shell or a sandboxed process with access to the GPU device nodes. No user interaction is required, and the attack remains within a single security scope.

Impact spans confidentiality, integrity, and availability. NVIDIA's advisory lists denial of service, privilege escalation, information disclosure, data tampering, and arbitrary code execution as possible outcomes of a successful exploit.

Root Cause

The driver performs arithmetic or assignment between numeric types — for example, narrowing a 64-bit length to a 32-bit field or treating a signed value as unsigned. The truncated or sign-flipped value bypasses a subsequent length check. The driver then allocates an undersized heap buffer or writes past the allocated boundary, corrupting adjacent kernel heap structures.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access with low privileges. An attacker invokes the affected driver through standard Linux interfaces such as ioctl calls against NVIDIA character devices (for example, /dev/nvidia0, /dev/nvidiactl, or /dev/nvidia-uvm). The attacker supplies crafted parameters that drive the numeric conversion into an unsafe range, forcing the heap buffer overflow during the driver's handling of the request.

Verified public proof-of-concept code is not available at the time of publication. Refer to the NVIDIA Security Bulletin for vendor-supplied technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-24192

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected kernel oops, panic, or BUG: messages in dmesg referencing nvidia, nvidia-uvm, or nvidia-modeset modules.
• Crashes or segmentation faults in user processes that interact with NVIDIA device nodes immediately followed by privilege changes.
• New SUID binaries, kernel modules, or root-owned processes spawned from non-privileged user sessions following GPU driver activity.

Detection Strategies

• Monitor ioctl activity targeting /dev/nvidia* device nodes from unprivileged processes and correlate with subsequent privilege transitions.
• Inventory installed NVIDIA driver versions across Linux endpoints and flag hosts running versions listed as vulnerable in the NVIDIA advisory.
• Hunt for kernel ring buffer entries indicating heap corruption, slab use-after-free, or KASAN reports tied to the NVIDIA modules.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Centralize dmesg, journald, and audit logs from Linux hosts with NVIDIA GPUs into a SIEM for correlation and retention.
• Alert on unexpected kernel module loads and on processes that gain UID 0 shortly after issuing GPU-related syscalls.
• Track patch deployment status for NVIDIA driver updates as a continuous vulnerability management metric.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-24192

Immediate Actions Required

• Identify all Linux hosts running the NVIDIA Display Driver and confirm installed versions against the vendor advisory.
• Apply the patched NVIDIA driver release referenced in NVIDIA Support Answer 5821 as soon as a maintenance window allows.
• Restrict local shell access on GPU-equipped hosts to trusted administrators until patching is complete.
• Review and tighten permissions on /dev/nvidia* device nodes so only required user accounts can issue ioctl calls.

Patch Information

NVIDIA has published fixed driver versions through its security bulletin portal. Consult the NVIDIA Security Bulletin for the specific patched driver branches and download locations. Validate the new driver in a staging environment before broad rollout, then deploy through standard package management tooling such as apt, dnf, or the NVIDIA .run installer.

Workarounds

• Where patching must be deferred, unload the NVIDIA kernel modules on systems that do not require GPU acceleration using modprobe -r nvidia.
• Limit GPU access to a dedicated low-risk user group and remove access for general interactive users.
• Enforce mandatory access controls (SELinux or AppArmor) that restrict which binaries can open NVIDIA device nodes.

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

# Restrict access to NVIDIA device nodes to a specific group
sudo groupadd gpu-users
sudo chown root:gpu-users /dev/nvidia*
sudo chmod 0660 /dev/nvidia*

# Unload NVIDIA modules if GPU is not in use
sudo rmmod nvidia_uvm nvidia_drm nvidia_modeset nvidia