In recent news, a critical vulnerability has been discovered in the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows, specifically affecting the DirectX11 user mode driver (nvwgf2um/x.dll). This vulnerability, categorized under CVE-2022-28182, allows a remote attacker to cause an out-of-bounds write through a specially crafted shader, which may lead to code execution, denial of service (DoS), escalation of privileges, information disclosure, and data tampering. In this blog post, we will discuss the vulnerability and its potential impact, along with some code snippets and links to original references.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability resides in the DirectX11 user mode driver (nvwgf2um/x.dll) component within the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows. When an attacker on the network sends a specially crafted shader, it causes an out-of-bounds write. This could allow the attacker to execute malicious code, potentially compromising the affected system and leading to a range of consequences, such as denial of service, escalation of privileges, data tampering, and information disclosure.

Exploit Details

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would first need to create a specially crafted shader. This could be done via a network connection to the target system, potentially through a malicious app or website. Once the shader is delivered to the victim's computer, it would cause an out-of-bounds write in the DirectX11 user mode driver (nvwgf2um/x.dll), potentially giving the attacker control over the affected system.

Defining a malicious shader

Shader maliciousShader = new Shader("malicious.shader");

Sending the malicious shader to the target system

sendShaderToTargetSystem(maliciousShader, targetIpAddress);

Triggering the out-of-bounds write in the DirectX11 user mode driver (nvwgf2um/x.dll)

triggerExploit(maliciousShader);

**Please note that these code snippets are for educational purposes only and should not be used for any malicious activities.

Original References

1. NVIDIA Security Bulletin
2. CVE-2022-28182 Details

Mitigation

NVIDIA has released a software update to address this vulnerability. Users are encouraged to update their NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows to the latest version as soon as possible. You can find the latest version by visiting the NVIDIA Driver Downloads page at https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx.

Conclusion

The vulnerability within NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows (CVE-2022-28182) can have severe implications if left unpatched. Immediate action to update affected drivers is recommended. By understanding the vulnerability and its scope, users of NVIDIA GPU Display Drivers can take appropriate measures to safeguard their systems and maintain the integrity of their data.

Timeline

Published on: 05/17/2022 20:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 05/26/2022 19:04:00 UTC