CVE-2026-24187

NVIDIA · Display Driver for Linux

A use-after-free vulnerability in the NVIDIA Display Driver for Linux may allow a local attacker to cause a system crash or potentially execute arbitrary code.

Executive summary

A critical use-after-free vulnerability in the NVIDIA Linux Display Driver poses a risk of system instability and potential arbitrary code execution.

Vulnerability

The vulnerability is a use-after-free error within the driver code. An attacker with local access could potentially exploit this memory management flaw to trigger a kernel-level failure or, under specific conditions, gain elevated privileges.

Business impact

The CVSS score of 8.8 highlights the severity of this kernel-level issue. Successful exploitation could result in full system compromise or denial-of-service, significantly impacting systems that rely on high-performance computing or graphical processing for critical tasks.

Remediation

Immediate Action: Update NVIDIA Linux Display Drivers to the latest version recommended by the vendor or Linux distribution maintainers.

Proactive Monitoring: Monitor system logs for repeated driver crashes or unexpected kernel errors that may indicate exploitation attempts.

Compensating Controls: Apply principle of least privilege to restrict access to the system for non-administrative users, reducing the likelihood of local exploitation.

Exploitation status

Public Exploit Available: false

Analyst recommendation

System administrators managing Linux environments with NVIDIA hardware should schedule an immediate update of the display drivers. Ensuring kernel security is paramount to preventing local privilege escalation and maintaining system uptime.