# CVE-2012-0953: Kernel heap contents leak race in ioctl handler

> A race condition in Nvidia graphics drivers allows attackers to leak kernel memory to userspace, requiring a driver upgrade.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 8 May 2020
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2012-0953, GHSA-hrhp-pg6r-2xqh

## What is CVE-2012-0953?

CVE-2012-0953 is a medium-severity vulnerability in nvidia graphics drivers, published on 8 May 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A race condition was discovered in the Linux drivers for Nvidia graphics which allowed an attacker to exfiltrate kernel memory to userspace. This issue was fixed in version 295.53.

Weakness: CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2012-0953?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nvidia Display Driver.

## How do I fix CVE-2012-0953?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2012-0953 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-0953 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in nvidia graphics drivers

- [CVE-2012-0951](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-0951/): Memory corruption in graphics drivers (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2013-0109](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-0109/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2015-5950](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-5950/): Privilege escalation in n/a (medium 6.9)
- [CVE-2012-0952](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-0952/): Heap overflow in control device ioctl (medium 5.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2012-0953 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2012-0953 is a medium-severity vulnerability in nvidia graphics drivers, published on 8 May 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-0953 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: nvidia graphics drivers. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-0953/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-0953/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2012-0953
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-0953
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2012-0953

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-0953/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.