CVE-2018-6269
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in NVIDIA Jetson TX2 kernel drivers allows attackers to exploit improper IOCTL handling to dereference untrusted pointers. This could lead to information disclosure, denial of service, privilege escalation, or arbitrary code execution. All NVIDIA Jetson TX2 systems running versions prior to R28.3 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- NVIDIA Jetson TX2
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with root privileges, allowing complete control over the device, data theft, and persistence.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation from a low-privileged user to root, potentially leading to system takeover.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper access controls restrict local user access and the system is isolated from untrusted networks.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access and knowledge of kernel driver internals; no public exploits have been documented.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: R28.3 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4787
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download the latest JetPack SDK from NVIDIA Developer website. 2. Flash the Jetson TX2 with the updated R28.3 or later firmware. 3. Reboot the device to apply the kernel updates.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Local User Access
linuxLimit the number of users with local shell access to reduce attack surface.
sudo userdel <username>
sudo passwd -l <username>
Disable Unnecessary Kernel Modules
linuxRemove or blacklist unnecessary kernel modules to reduce potential attack vectors.
sudo modprobe -r <module_name>
echo 'blacklist <module_name>' | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to prevent unauthorized local access to the device.
- Isolate the Jetson TX2 device on a separate network segment with no internet connectivity.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the JetPack version: cat /etc/nv_tegra_release | grep -i 'release'Check Version:
cat /etc/nv_tegra_releaseVerify Fix Applied:
Verify the version shows R28.3 or higher after patching: cat /etc/nv_tegra_release📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic logs
- Unusual IOCTL calls in kernel logs
- Privilege escalation attempts in audit logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from the Jetson device
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND "panic" OR "IOCTL" AND device="Jetson TX2"