CVE-2021-1080
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in NVIDIA vGPU software allows attackers to exploit improper input validation in the Virtual GPU Manager to potentially disclose sensitive information, modify data, or cause denial of service. It affects organizations using NVIDIA vGPU technology for virtualization. The vulnerability impacts vGPU versions 12.x (prior to 12.2), 11.x (prior to 11.4), and 8.x (prior to 8.7).
💻 Affected Systems
- NVIDIA Virtual GPU Software
- NVIDIA vGPU Manager
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of virtualized GPU resources leading to data exfiltration, manipulation of GPU-accelerated workloads, or persistent denial of service affecting all virtual machines using vGPU.
Likely Case
Information disclosure from GPU memory or denial of service affecting specific virtual machines using vulnerable vGPU configurations.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and access controls, potentially only affecting isolated virtualization environments.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires access to the vGPU management interface and knowledge of the vulnerability. No public exploit code has been disclosed as of the advisory date.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: vGPU 12.2, 11.4, 8.7 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5172
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download the patched vGPU software from NVIDIA's official portal. 2. Backup current vGPU configuration. 3. Install the updated vGPU software on the host system. 4. Restart the vGPU service or reboot the host. 5. Verify guest VMs can reconnect to vGPU resources.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
linuxRestrict access to vGPU management interfaces to only authorized administrative systems
# Use firewall rules to restrict access to vGPU management ports
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport <vGPU_port> -s <trusted_network> -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport <vGPU_port> -j DROP
Access Control Hardening
linuxImplement strict authentication and authorization controls for vGPU management interfaces
# Configure vGPU plugin authentication settings
nvidia-vgpu-mgr --config-auth
# Review and restrict vGPU user permissions
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate vGPU management network from general user networks using VLANs or physical segmentation
- Implement monitoring and alerting for unusual vGPU management interface access patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check vGPU version on host system: nvidia-vgpu-mgr --version or nvidia-smi -q | grep 'Driver Version'Check Version:
nvidia-vgpu-mgr --version || nvidia-smi -q | grep 'Driver Version'Verify Fix Applied:
Verify installed version is 12.2+, 11.4+, or 8.7+ and check vGPU service is running without errors📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual vGPU plugin errors in system logs
- Multiple failed authentication attempts to vGPU services
- Unexpected vGPU configuration changes
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic to vGPU management ports from unauthorized sources
- Multiple connection attempts to vGPU services
SIEM Query:
source="vGPU_logs" AND (error OR failed OR unauthorized) OR dest_port="<vGPU_port>" AND src_ip NOT IN (authorized_ips)