Introduction
A locally authenticated user with nothing more than basic shell access on a Linux system running an NVIDIA GPU can exploit a kernel-mode permission-handling flaw to achieve full privilege escalation, data tampering, information disclosure, and arbitrary code execution. NVIDIA holds approximately 92% of the discrete GPU market and an estimated 98% of the data center GPU market, so the exposure surface for CVE-2026-24194 covers a significant fraction of the Linux workstations, servers, and cloud instances that run GPU compute workloads.
NVIDIA disclosed the vulnerability in its May 2026 GPU Display Driver security bulletin. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (High) and affects three major driver branches across the GeForce, RTX, Quadro, NVS, Tesla, vGPU, and Cloud Gaming product lines. Patches are available, but the fragmented branch structure makes the rollout harder for operators of large fleets.
Technical Information
Root Cause: CWE-281 (Improper Preservation of Permissions)
CVE-2026-24194 resides in a kernel-mode layer handler of the NVIDIA Display Driver for Linux. The root cause is classified as CWE-281, which MITRE defines as occurring when "the product does not preserve permissions or incorrectly preserves permissions when copying, restoring, or sharing objects, which can cause them to have less restrictive permissions than intended."
Here, the kernel-mode layer handler fails to correctly maintain permission states on objects, which lets a low-privilege user perform operations that should be restricted to higher privilege levels. The NVIDIA kernel module runs at ring 0, so a permission-handling failure at this level is far more serious than the same weakness class in a user-space application. A user-space flaw stays within that application's own permission scope. This one grants the attacker kernel-level access, with high impact on all three security properties: confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Decomposition
The full vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, which breaks down as follows:
| Vector Component | Value | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Attack Vector (AV) | Local | Exploitation requires local access to the target system |
| Attack Complexity (AC) | Low | No specialized conditions needed beyond local access |
| Privileges Required (PR) | Low | Attacker needs only basic user-level privileges |
| User Interaction (UI) | None | No action from another user is required |
| Scope (S) | Unchanged | Impact is confined to the vulnerable component |
| Confidentiality (C) | High | Total information disclosure possible |
| Integrity (I) | High | Total or complete loss of integrity possible |
| Availability (A) | High | Total loss of availability possible |
Low attack complexity, low privilege requirements, and no user interaction together put this vulnerability within reach of any locally authenticated user on an affected system. The NVD entry is currently marked "Undergoing Enrichment" with the CVSS v4.0 assessment listed as N/A, so more scoring details may appear in later updates.
Attack Flow
CWE-281 weaknesses in kernel-mode drivers typically appear when the driver fails to validate or enforce permission checks during operations such as memory mapping, IOCTL handling, or resource sharing between user space and kernel space. The MITRE CWE-281 catalog lists common consequences including unauthorized read access to data, unauthorized modification of data or security-critical settings, and disruption of service.
A plausible exploitation flow, based on the vulnerability characteristics:
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The attacker gets local access to a Linux system running an affected NVIDIA driver version. That access could come from compromised credentials, a container escape, exploitation of a separate service, or legitimate low-privilege access in a multi-tenant environment.
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Logged in as a low-privilege user, the attacker interacts with the vulnerable kernel-mode layer handler through the standard driver interface. This triggers the improper permission-handling condition, and objects end up with less restrictive permissions than intended.
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By exploiting the permission-handling failure in kernel mode, the attacker can escalate privileges, potentially to root-level access. According to the NVD entry, successful exploitation can lead to denial of service, escalation of privileges, information disclosure, data tampering, and arbitrary code execution.
This attack flow is a particular concern in data center and cloud environments that use NVIDIA GPUs for AI and ML workloads. These systems frequently run Linux and may be accessible to multiple users or services. An attacker who gains a foothold through a container escape or a misconfigured service could use CVE-2026-24194 to escalate it to full system compromise.
Scope of Impact
The NVIDIA GPU driver is a proprietary, closed-source kernel module, and the specific vulnerable code path has not been publicly disclosed. No source-level diff or commit is available. The vulnerability is strictly a Linux-side flaw. The Windows driver tables in the same NVIDIA bulletin do not reference CVE-2026-24194, which confirms that it is isolated to the permission-handling logic of the Linux kernel-mode layer.
Patch Information
NVIDIA addressed CVE-2026-24194 in its May 2026 GPU Display Driver Security Update (Security Bulletin a_id/5821), first published on May 19, 2026, and revised through May 21, 2026. The fix corrects the improper permission-handling logic in the kernel-mode layer handler. Because NVIDIA's GPU drivers are proprietary and closed source, the patch ships only as updated binary driver packages.
Linux GPU Display Driver (GeForce, RTX, Quadro, NVS, Tesla)
| Driver Branch | Fixed Version |
|---|---|
| R595 | 595.71.05 |
| R580 | 580.159.03 |
| R535 | 535.309.01 |
In each branch, every driver version before the one listed above is vulnerable. Updated drivers are available from the NVIDIA Driver Downloads page.
NVIDIA vGPU Software (Linux Guest Driver)
| vGPU Software Version (Fixed) | Driver Version (Fixed) |
|---|---|
| 20.1 | 595.71.05 |
| 19.5 | 580.159.03 |
| 16.14 | 535.309.01 |
The vGPU Manager branches (R595, R580, R535) also list CVE-2026-24194 as addressed, so virtual GPU environments running Linux guests are covered as well.
NVIDIA Cloud Gaming (Linux Guest Driver)
The April 2026 Release updated the Cloud Gaming Linux guest driver to version 595.71.05, which resolves CVE-2026-24194 along with several sibling CVEs.
Downstream Distribution Status
Downstream distributors are still processing updates. SUSE has flagged the packages nvidia-open-driver-G06-signed and nvidia-open-driver-G07-signed as "Affected" across numerous SUSE Linux Enterprise and openSUSE Leap products. Its tracker still shows the issue in an "Analysis" state, and SUSE has not yet issued any SUSE-specific security announcements. The GitHub Advisory Database (GHSA-p96j-2664-mgcr) currently lists patched versions as "Unknown," though it correctly cross-references the NVIDIA bulletin as the primary source.
Organizations should identify which driver branch each system runs before patching, because each of the three branches has its own fixed version.
Affected Systems and Versions
The following products and version ranges are affected:
Linux GPU Display Driver (GeForce, RTX, Quadro, NVS, Tesla):
| Product Line | Branch | Vulnerable Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce/RTX/Quadro/NVS/Tesla (Linux) | R595 | All versions prior to 595.71.05 | 595.71.05 |
| GeForce/RTX/Quadro/NVS/Tesla (Linux) | R580 | All versions prior to 580.159.03 | 580.159.03 |
| GeForce/RTX/Quadro/NVS/Tesla (Linux) | R535 | All versions prior to 535.309.01 | 535.309.01 |
vGPU Guest Driver (Linux):
| vGPU Version | Branch | Vulnerable Up To | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| vGPU 20 | R595 | 595.58.03 and earlier | 595.71.05 |
| vGPU 19 | R580 | 580.126.09 and earlier | 580.159.03 |
| vGPU 16 | R535 | 535.288.01 and earlier | 535.309.01 |
Cloud Gaming (Linux Guest Driver):
| Branch | Vulnerable Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|
| R595 | Up to March 2026 release | 595.71.05 |
No Windows driver branch is affected. The Windows driver tables in the same NVIDIA bulletin do not reference CVE-2026-24194.
Vendor Security History
NVIDIA has a documented history of regular security bulletins for its GPU display drivers, and a single bulletin often covers several CVEs at once. The May 2026 bulletin (a_id/5821) follows that pattern and bundles CVE-2026-24194 with other driver vulnerabilities in one batched disclosure.
The January 2026 security bulletin (a_id/5747) is a comparable example. It addressed multiple vulnerabilities in GPU display drivers across both Linux and Windows branches, gave branch-specific fixed versions, and used the same risk assessment framework.
Kernel-mode layer handler vulnerabilities keep recurring in NVIDIA's Linux drivers, which suggests a systemic attack surface in the permission-handling logic of the kernel module. NVIDIA consistently patches these issues through its coordinated disclosure process, so patches are available when each bulletin goes public. Even so, the pattern indicates that the complexity of kernel-mode GPU driver code continues to introduce permission-handling weaknesses. Organizations should plan for more vulnerability disclosures in this attack surface and treat rapid patching of NVIDIA driver updates as an ongoing operational requirement.
Tenable has published Nessus Plugin 316514 ("NVIDIA Linux GPU Display Driver (May 2026)") to detect whether a Linux host is running an affected driver version. Organizations with Tenable deployments should include this plugin in their active scan policies.
References
- NVD: CVE-2026-24194
- CVE Record: CVE-2026-24194
- NVIDIA Security Bulletin: GPU Display Drivers, May 2026
- GitHub Advisory: GHSA-p96j-2664-mgcr
- SUSE CVE Tracker: CVE-2026-24194
- MITRE CWE-281: Improper Preservation of Permissions
- NVIDIA Product Security
- NVIDIA PSIRT Policies
- Tenable Nessus Plugin 316514: NVIDIA Linux GPU Display Driver (May 2026)
- Cybersecurity Help: Multiple Vulnerabilities in NVIDIA GPU Display Drivers
- NVIDIA Driver Downloads
- NVIDIA Security Bulletin: GPU Display Drivers, January 2026
