# CVE-2020-5966: Null dereference in NVIDIA GPU Display Driver

> A NULL pointer dereference in the NVIDIA Windows GPU driver kernel mode layer allows attackers to cause denial of service or escalate privileges.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/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:** 25 Jun 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-89xg-2r83-fr93

## What is CVE-2020-5966?

CVE-2020-5966 is a high-severity vulnerability in Nvidia Gpu Display Driver, published on 25 Jun 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

NVIDIA Windows GPU Display Driver, all versions, contains a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer (nvlddmkm.sys) handler for DxgkDdiEscape, in which a NULL pointer is dereferenced, leading to denial of service or potential escalation of privileges.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-5966?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nvidia Gpu Display Driver.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-5966?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-5966 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-5966 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-5966 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Nvidia Gpu Display Driver

- [CVE-2026-24187](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24187/): Use after free in GeForce (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2023-0184](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-0184/): Privilege escalation in NVIDIA GPU Display Driver (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2022-34671](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-34671/): Memory corruption in NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Windows (high 8.5)
- [CVE-2022-28181](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-28181/): Memory corruption in NVIDIA GPU Display Driver (high 8.5)
- [CVE-2022-28182](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-28182/): Memory corruption in NVIDIA GPU Display Driver (high 8.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-5966 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-5966 is a high-severity vulnerability in Nvidia Gpu Display Driver, published on 25 Jun 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-2020-5966 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Nvidia Gpu Display Driver. 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-2020-5966/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5966/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-5966
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5966
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-5966

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5966/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.