# CVE-2020-5991: Memory corruption in NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit

> An out-of-bounds read or write in the NVJPEG library allows attackers to execute code, cause denial of service, or disclose information.

- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 30 Oct 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2020-5991, GHSA-j4xv-pxpf-xq6x, UBUNTU-CVE-2020-5991

## What is CVE-2020-5991?

CVE-2020-5991 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit, published on 30 Oct 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit, all versions prior to 11.1.1, contains a vulnerability in the NVJPEG library in which an out-of-bounds read or write operation may lead to code execution, denial of service, or information disclosure.

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write), CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-5991?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nvidia Cuda Toolkit.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-5991?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2020-5991 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-5991 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit

- [CVE-2022-21821](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-21821/): Integer overflow in NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2025-33228](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-33228/): Command injection in CUDA Toolkit (high 7.3)
- [CVE-2025-33229](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-33229/): Code injection in CUDA Toolkit (high 7.3)
- [CVE-2025-33230](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-33230/): Command injection in CUDA Toolkit (high 7.3)
- [CVE-2025-33231](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-33231/): Other in CUDA Toolkit (medium 6.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-5991 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-5991 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit, published on 30 Oct 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-2020-5991 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit. 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-2020-5991/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5991/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-5991
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5991
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-5991

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5991/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.