PatchSiren

PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2017-0323 Microsoft CVE debrief

CVE-2017-0323 is a high-severity vulnerability in NVIDIA Windows GPU Display Driver kernel-mode handling. According to the CVE record and NVIDIA’s advisory reference, invalid user input may trigger a NULL pointer dereference, which can result in denial of service and may also create conditions for privilege escalation on affected systems.

Vendor
Microsoft
Product
CVE-2017-0323
CVSS
HIGH 7.8
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-02-15
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-02-15
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Organizations that run NVIDIA GPU drivers on Windows endpoints, workstations, VDI hosts, and other systems where local users or untrusted processes may interact with the driver. Security teams should pay attention because the issue is locally reachable and is rated high severity.

Technical summary

The NVD record describes a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer handler of the NVIDIA Windows GPU Display Driver. The weakness is classified as CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference). The CVSS v3.0 vector is AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, indicating local exploitation with low attack complexity and low privileges, and potential impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability. NVD lists NVIDIA GPU driver as the vulnerable CPE and includes a vendor advisory reference.

Defensive priority

High for environments with NVIDIA Windows GPU drivers installed, especially where local user access is broadly available. The combination of local reachability, low privilege requirements, and high potential impact makes prompt patching and driver inventory validation advisable.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Identify Windows systems that have NVIDIA GPU Display Driver installed and confirm the affected versions.
  • Review NVIDIA PSIRT advisory 4398 and apply the vendor-recommended driver update or remediation steps.
  • Restrict unnecessary local access on shared Windows systems to reduce exposure to local exploitation paths.
  • Validate the updated driver in a controlled test group before broad deployment.
  • Monitor endpoints for unexpected crashes or driver instability that could indicate exposure to the issue.

Evidence notes

This debrief is based on the supplied CVE record, NVD metadata, and the referenced NVIDIA vendor advisory. The CVE description states that all versions of the NVIDIA Windows GPU Display Driver contain a kernel-mode NULL pointer dereference caused by invalid user input. NVD classifies the weakness as CWE-476 and provides the CVSS v3.0 vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. The record was published on 2017-02-15 and later modified on 2026-05-13.

Official resources

Publicly disclosed on 2017-02-15 in the CVE record; NVD metadata was last modified on 2026-05-13. No KEV listing is indicated in the supplied data.