# CVE-2018-6261: Misconfiguration in GeForce Experience

> Incorrect file permissions in NVIDIA GeForce Experience allow local attackers to execute code or escalate privileges when GameStream is enabled.

- **Severity:** High 7.0 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 2 Oct 2018
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-2mj7-r5rf-59q9

## What is CVE-2018-6261?

CVE-2018-6261 is a high-severity vulnerability in Nvidia Corporation GeForce Experience, published on 2 Oct 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

NVIDIA GeForce Experience prior to 3.15 contains a vulnerability when GameStream is enabled which sets incorrect permissions on a file, which may to code execution, denial of service, or escalation of privileges by users with system access.

Weakness: CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-6261?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nvidia Geforce Experience.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-6261?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-6261 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-6261 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-6261 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Nvidia Corporation GeForce Experience

- [CVE-2017-6250](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6250/): Code injection in GeForce Experience (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2016-8812](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8812/): Memory corruption in Quadro, NVS, and GeForce (all versions) (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2021-1073](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-1073/): Information disclosure in NVIDIA GeForce Experience Software (high 8.3)
- [CVE-2022-42291](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-42291/): Path traversal in GeForce Experience (high 8.2)
- [CVE-2021-23175](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-23175/): Missing authorization in NVIDIA GeForce Experience Software (high 8.2)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-6261 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-6261 is a high-severity vulnerability in Nvidia Corporation GeForce Experience, published on 2 Oct 2018. 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-2018-6261 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Nvidia Corporation GeForce Experience. 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-2018-6261/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-6261/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-6261
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-6261
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-6261

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-6261/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.