CVE-2026-47549
Description
A flaw was found in nvidia-driver. This vulnerability allows an unprivileged local user to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) by triggering an invalid memory access (NULL pointer dereference) in the kernel module. A successful exploit results in a system crash.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as Moderate because exploitation requires local authenticated access and results strictly in a denial of service without compromising system confidentiality or integrity. In Red Hat Enterprise Linux environments, the driver is not enabled by default and is only loaded when compatible NVIDIA hardware is present and configured. An unprivileged local user could interact with the kernel module interface to trigger a kernel crash, disrupting host availability.
Mitigation
To prevent exposure on systems where NVIDIA GPU capabilities are not actively needed, prevent the kernel module from loading by creating a modprobe configuration file:
echo "install nvidia /bin/false" > /etc/modprobe.d/disable-nvidia.conf
If the driver is already loaded, unload it using:
modprobe -r nvidia
Additionally, if GPU functionality is required by trusted users, ensure file permissions on `/dev/nvidia*` device nodes restrict access to authorized groups only.
Caveats:
Disabling this module prevents NVIDIA GPU hardware acceleration, compute workloads, and display outputs handled by the card.
Warning: Unloading the module while graphical sessions or compute workloads are active may abruptly terminate running processes. A system reboot is recommended to ensure the module is cleanly unloaded and the configuration takes effect.
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 | 5.5 | N/A | 5.5 |
| 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 | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
NULL pointer dereferences usually result in the failure of the process unless exception handling (on some platforms) is available and implemented. Even when exception handling is being used, it can still be very difficult to return the software to a safe state of operation.
Integrity,Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Read Memory; Modify Memory
In rare circumstances, when NULL is equivalent to the 0x0 memory address and privileged code can access it, then writing or reading memory is possible, which may lead to code execution.
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