CVE-2020-5984
📋 TL;DR
NVIDIA Virtual GPU Manager contains a use-after-free vulnerability in the vGPU plugin that could allow attackers to cause denial of service, execute arbitrary code, or access sensitive information. This affects organizations using NVIDIA vGPU technology for virtualization. The vulnerability impacts vGPU versions 8.x (prior to 8.5), 10.x (prior to 10.4), and version 11.0.
💻 Affected Systems
- NVIDIA Virtual GPU Manager
- NVIDIA vGPU Software
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full compromise of the hypervisor host leading to complete virtualization environment takeover, data exfiltration, and lateral movement to other virtual machines.
Likely Case
Denial of service causing vGPU functionality disruption and potential guest VM crashes.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and minimal vGPU exposure.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires access to vGPU management interface or ability to interact with vGPU plugin. No public exploits known at time of advisory.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: vGPU version 8.5, 10.4, or later versions
Vendor Advisory: https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5075
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download appropriate vGPU update from NVIDIA portal. 2. Apply update to hypervisor host. 3. Restart hypervisor host. 4. Update guest VM drivers if required. 5. Verify vGPU functionality post-update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vGPU functionality
linuxTemporarily disable NVIDIA vGPU features until patching can be completed
# For Linux: Remove vGPU kernel modules
sudo rmmod nvidia-vgpu-vfio
sudo rmmod nvidia-vgpu-mgr
Network segmentation
linuxRestrict access to vGPU management interfaces to essential administrative systems only
# Example iptables rule to restrict vGPU management port
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 3470 -s trusted_admin_ip -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 3470 -j DROP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate vGPU management interfaces
- Monitor for unusual vGPU plugin activity and implement enhanced logging
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check vGPU version with: nvidia-smi -q | grep 'Driver Version' or cat /proc/driver/nvidia/versionCheck Version:
nvidia-smi -q | grep 'Driver Version'Verify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 8.5 or higher, 10.4 or higher, or later than 11.0. Check that vGPU functionality works normally.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages related to vGPU
- vGPU plugin crash logs
- Unusual vGPU management interface access
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected connections to vGPU management port (default 3470)
- Anomalous traffic patterns to/from hypervisor hosts
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("nvidia-vgpu" OR "vGPU") AND ("panic" OR "crash" OR "use-after-free")