CVE-2026-47514
Description
A flaw was found in nvidia-driver. A local user can trigger an issue in the driver's kernel mode layer that exposes sensitive kernel stack contents, including return addresses and memory pointers. A successful exploit could allow an attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution, escalate privileges, cause a denial of service (DoS), or tamper with system data.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as Important severity for Red Hat Enterprise Linux because an authenticated local user can abuse the proprietary driver to expose sensitive kernel stack data and bypass system security boundaries, potentially leading to full privilege escalation. NVIDIA driver kernel modules are not active by default and are deployed primarily on systems configured for GPU-accelerated computing or dedicated graphical workloads. Systems without NVIDIA hardware or where the driver module is not loaded remain unaffected by this flaw.
Mitigation
To mitigate this vulnerability on systems where GPU hardware acceleration or compute capabilities are not required, prevent the driver module from loading:
1. Create a modprobe configuration to blacklist and disable the module:
echo "blacklist nvidia" > /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia-blacklist.conf
echo "install nvidia /bin/false" >> /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia-blacklist.conf
2. Unload the driver if it is currently active:
modprobe -r nvidia
Caveats:
Disabling this module prevents proprietary NVIDIA GPU hardware acceleration, graphical desktop sessions driven by NVIDIA hardware, and CUDA compute applications from functioning. A system reboot or display manager restart may be required to completely unload active kernel modules.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7.8 | N/A | 7.8 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | Low |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Application Data
An information exposure occurs when system data or debugging information leaves the program through an output stream or logging function that makes it accessible to unauthorized parties. Debugging information helps an adversary learn about the system and form an attack plan. Using other weaknesses, an attacker could cause errors to occur; the response to these errors can reveal detailed system information, along with other impacts. An attacker can use messages that reveal technologies, operating systems, and product versions to tune the attack against known vulnerabilities in these technologies.
Frequently Asked Questions
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