CVE-2021-1093

Local denial of service via reachable firmware assertion

Published Jul 22, 2021 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

Reachable assertion in NVIDIA GPU Display Driver firmware allows local users to crash Windows or Linux systems by triggering the check. The firmware executes an assert() or equivalent terminating check on an attacker-reachable condition instead of handling that condition safely. NVIDIA has not disclosed the trigger path or input; local access is required, with no prior privileges or user interaction, and impact is limited to exit, denial of service, or system crash.

CVSS severity6.2
Medium
EPSS probability0.37%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Reachable assertion in NVIDIA GPU Display Driver firmware allows local users to crash Windows or Linux systems by triggering the check. The firmware executes an assert() or equivalent terminating check on an attacker-reachable condition instead of handling that condition safely. NVIDIA has not disclosed the trigger path or input; local access is required, with no prior privileges or user interaction, and impact is limited to exit, denial of service, or system crash.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-1093
Published
Jul 22, 2021
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
NVIDIA
Product
NVIDIA GPU Display Driver
Classifications
CWE-404, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 22, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 3, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=All GPU Driver versions

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

NVIDIA · NVIDIA GPU Display Driverversion=All GPU Driver versions

Published CVSS scores

5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
4.9NIST NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C
6.2NVIDIA CorporationCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-404Improper Resource Shutdown or Release
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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