NVIDIA GPU Display Driver Kernel Mode Layer Integer Overflow Leads to Arbitrary Code Execution
Overview
NVIDIA released a security update for its GPU display drivers addressing a critical integer overflow vulnerability in the kernel mode layer (nvlddmkm.sys). The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-5783, can be triggered by a specially crafted shader sent to the driver by a low-privileged user-mode application. The flaw exists within the component responsible for parsing and allocating memory for complex shader computations. An integer overflow during a size calculation for a memory buffer could lead to a heap buffer overflow. A local attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges, leading to a complete system compromise. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous for multi-user systems and containerized ML workloads, where a compromised container could potentially escape and gain control of the host operating system. The impact includes denial of service, privilege escalation, and information disclosure. The issue affects a wide range of NVIDIA GeForce, RTX, Quadro, and Tesla drivers on Windows and Linux. NVIDIA credited security researchers from Project Zero for reporting the vulnerability. Users are strongly advised to update to the latest driver versions provided by NVIDIA or their system manufacturer.
Affected Systems
Testing Guide
1. On Windows, open the NVIDIA Control Panel, go to `Help -> System Information` to check your installed driver version. 2. On Linux, run the command `nvidia-smi` which displays the driver version in the top-right corner. 3. If your driver version is lower than the patched versions (e.g., 555.85), your system is vulnerable and should be updated immediately.
Mitigation Steps
1. Update NVIDIA drivers to version 555.85 (or later) for GeForce/RTX series or 555.80 (or later) for Studio series. 2. For enterprise environments, ensure that automated patching systems (like SCCM or Ansible) are configured to deploy the latest GPU driver updates. 3. Restrict GPU access for untrusted workloads, for instance by using container security policies or running them on dedicated, isolated hardware.
Patch Details
Patches are available in NVIDIA GPU Display Driver version 555.85 and NVIDIA Studio Driver version 555.80 and later.