CVE-2021-1118
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in NVIDIA vGPU software allows guest operating systems to execute privileged operations on the host system. It affects organizations using NVIDIA vGPU technology for virtualization. Successful exploitation could lead to information disclosure, data tampering, privilege escalation, or denial of service.
💻 Affected Systems
- NVIDIA Virtual GPU Manager (vGPU plugin)
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of the vGPU host system, allowing attackers to access all virtual machines, steal sensitive data, modify configurations, and cause widespread service disruption.
Likely Case
Privilege escalation within the virtual environment leading to unauthorized access to other VMs or host resources, potentially enabling lateral movement and data exfiltration.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation, minimal privileges for guest VMs, and monitoring in place to detect unusual activity.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires access to a guest VM with vGPU capabilities and knowledge of the vulnerability. No public exploit code is known.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: vGPU software version 11.5 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5230
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download vGPU software version 11.5 or later from NVIDIA's website. 2. Back up current configuration. 3. Install the updated vGPU software on the host system. 4. Restart the host system and affected virtual machines.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Isolate vGPU Environments
allSegment vGPU-enabled VMs from critical systems and implement strict network controls
Minimize vGPU Privileges
allConfigure vGPU profiles with minimal necessary privileges and monitor for unusual activity
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate vGPU environments from critical systems
- Enable detailed logging and monitoring for vGPU-related activities and privilege escalation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check NVIDIA vGPU software version on the host system: nvidia-smi -q | grep 'Driver Version'Check Version:
nvidia-smi -q | grep 'Driver Version'Verify Fix Applied:
Verify the installed vGPU software version is 11.5 or higher: nvidia-smi -q | grep 'Driver Version'📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual vGPU plugin activity
- Privilege escalation attempts in guest VMs
- Unexpected vGPU configuration changes
Network Indicators:
- Unusual network traffic from vGPU-enabled VMs to sensitive systems
- Lateral movement attempts from vGPU environments
SIEM Query:
source="vGPU_logs" AND (event_type="privilege_escalation" OR event_type="configuration_change")