CVE-2024-0078

What it actually does

A user in a guest virtual machine can trigger a NULL-pointer dereference in the host kernel-mode display driver layer, resulting in denial of service on the host.

Why it matters to the business

Potential downtime for virtualized workloads and hosts relying on NVIDIA GPUs, requiring restarts and interrupting operations in multi-tenant environments.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with guest VM access crafts inputs to the kernel-mode driver interface, causing the host to dereference a null pointer and crash the system.

How to fix it

Update the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows and Linux to the latest patched release addressing this kernel-mode vulnerability.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm the installed driver version is at or above the fixed release listed in NVIDIA security bulletins and test that guest-to-host NULL dereference attempts no longer cause host crashes.

Typical attack path

1. Obtain access to a guest virtual machine
2. Interact with the NVIDIA GPU display driver from within the guest
3. Submit malicious inputs that trigger the NULL-pointer dereference in the host kernel

How to detect it

Review host system logs and kernel crash dumps for display driver NULL dereference events originating from guest activity.

What your security team should do

• Prioritize driver updates on all affected hosts
• Restrict guest VM access to GPU resources where possible
• Monitor host stability in virtualized deployments