Windows users Must Patch Nvidia GPU drivers to stop malware attackers

Nvidia Patch

One high-security flaw among five bugs fixed in the August display driver update for graphical chip makers.

Nvidia Graphics Chip Maker urges users to install new security updates which deal with a high-severity fault and four others which attackers can exploit.

Nvidia warns that faults collectively in its GPU driver could allow local attackers to execute code, cause service denial, or enhance privileges.

The worst thing about bugs affects a component that logs the video driver levels in user mode and has 8.8 out of 10 severe values, but can only be used by an attacker that has local access to a vulnerable computer.

“The software does not check for hard-link attacks when an assailant has access to the system and creates a hard link. It can lead to execution of code, service denials or escalation of privileges,” Nvidia says.

Windows systems only are affected by the errors and Nvidia’s GeForce, Quadro, NVS and Tesla software should be updated.

Nvidia drivers are not a common target for attackers, but Nvidia drivers are complicated pieces of software, as researchers in Google Project Zero have pointed out in the past, which give attackers many angle to attack applications such as the browser that have access to the GPU.

An attacker can escape route from computer-controverted software sandboxes from the large attack surface. A Google engineer working with Project Zero found a huge 400 sandbox running out of 16 faults on Nvidia’s Windows kernel mode..

Two of the five newly revealed faults were identified by Piotr Bania, a researcher at the Cisco Talos Security Unit, who has previously identified serious faults in Nvidia drivers with pixel shaders.

The two identified Bania defects can be exploited with a specially designed pixel shader because of problems within the DirectX drivers.

Nvidia states that exploitation of the first flaw “can lead to the out-of-bound access of an input texture array that might result in service denial or code execution.”

The second can cause an out – of-bound access to a temporary shader array that could lead to a service denial or code execution. Many affected Windows users will probably get fixed drivers via OEMs instead of Nvidia direct.

Nvidia notes that all R340 versions before 431.60 have been affected. Users can check which version of the Nvidia Control panel is installed. In a support document, Nvidia provides details on how to check the version.

Mark Funk
Mark Funk is an experienced information security specialist who works with enterprises to mature and improve their enterprise security programs. Previously, he worked as a security news reporter.