CVE-2026-65118 Overview
CVE-2026-65118 is an improper certificate validation vulnerability [CWE-295] in NVIDIA Infrastructure Controller for Linux. An attacker on an adjacent network can exploit the flaw to bypass Transport Layer Security (TLS) trust checks. Successful exploitation can lead to information disclosure, data tampering, and denial of service.
The vulnerability affects the controller's handling of X.509 certificates during secure channel establishment. Because trust validation is not enforced correctly, an attacker in a privileged network position can substitute or forge certificates. This enables interception or manipulation of management traffic between the controller and connected infrastructure.
Critical Impact
Attackers with adjacent network access can intercept and modify controller traffic, breaking the confidentiality and integrity of infrastructure management sessions.
Affected Products
- NVIDIA Infrastructure Controller for Linux
- Linux-based deployments running the affected controller software
- Environments exposing controller management interfaces to adjacent networks
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-09-22 - CVE CVE-2026-65118 published to NVD
- 2026-09-22 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-65118
Vulnerability Analysis
The flaw is classified under [CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation]. The controller establishes TLS sessions but does not properly verify the presented certificate chain, hostname, or trust anchor. This weakens the guarantee that the endpoint is authentic.
An attacker positioned on an adjacent network segment can present a crafted or unauthorized certificate. The controller accepts the session and proceeds to exchange management data over what appears to be a trusted channel. The attack complexity is high because the adversary must achieve an on-path position and craft the certificate exchange correctly.
The impact spans confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Confidentiality loss is significant because management traffic often contains credentials, telemetry, and configuration data. Integrity and availability effects are lower but still meaningful, since manipulated responses can disrupt controller operations.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or insufficient certificate validation logic within the controller's TLS client implementation. Typical failures under [CWE-295] include skipping chain-of-trust verification, ignoring hostname mismatches, or accepting self-signed certificates without pinning. NVIDIA has not published the specific validation gap in the public advisory.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires adjacent network access, meaning the attacker must reside on the same broadcast domain, VLAN, or logical network segment as the controller. No authentication or user interaction is required. The scope is changed, indicating that a successful attack impacts components beyond the vulnerable controller itself.
The vulnerability manifests during the TLS handshake between the controller and a peer service. See the NVIDIA Security Update for technical details published by the vendor.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-65118
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected TLS certificates presented to the Infrastructure Controller by peer services or upstream endpoints.
- Certificate fingerprints in controller logs that do not match the organization's issued trust anchors.
- Anomalous Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) or Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) traffic on the controller's network segment suggesting on-path activity.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect controller TLS sessions with network monitoring tools and compare observed certificate chains against an approved allowlist.
- Enable verbose TLS logging on the controller and alert on validation warnings, hostname mismatches, or untrusted issuers.
- Correlate management-plane traffic patterns with baseline behavior to identify session hijacking or downgrade attempts.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Deploy network detection on management VLANs to flag rogue devices and unauthorized certificate authorities.
- Forward controller and TLS logs to a centralized analytics platform for retention and correlation across sessions.
- Continuously monitor certificate issuance and renewal events for infrastructure endpoints to detect unexpected reissuance.
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-65118
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the NVIDIA security update referenced in the NVIDIA product security advisory as soon as it is available for your deployment.
- Restrict adjacent network access to the Infrastructure Controller by placing it on a dedicated, segmented management VLAN.
- Audit all TLS trust stores on affected controllers and remove unused or untrusted certificate authorities.
Patch Information
Refer to the NVIDIA Product Security repository and the NVD entry for CVE-2026-65118 for the current list of fixed versions and upgrade instructions. Additional record details are available in the CVE.org record for CVE-2026-65118.
Workarounds
- Enforce strict network segmentation and access control lists to prevent untrusted hosts from reaching the controller's management interfaces.
- Deploy certificate pinning at network middleboxes where feasible to detect substitute certificates during TLS handshakes.
- Require mutual TLS (mTLS) with organization-issued client certificates for all peer services communicating with the controller.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.