CVE-2026-24180: NVIDIA DALI Heap Buffer Overflow – Local Code Execution Risk

Technical summary

CVE-2026-24180 is a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122) in NVIDIA DALI. The vulnerability exists in a component that does not properly validate input boundaries before writing to heap memory. The attack vector is local (AV:L), with low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring low privileges (PR:L) and user interaction (UI:R). Successful exploitation can lead to code execution in the context of the DALI process, data tampering within that process, denial of service through application crash, or information disclosure via heap memory leaks. The CVSS v3.1 score of 7.3 reflects the combination of high impact across confidentiality, integrity, and availability with local-only scope.

Business impact

Organizations using NVIDIA DALI in production environments face risks of operational disruption, data integrity compromise, and potential lateral movement if code execution leads to privilege escalation. In data-science and machine-learning pipelines, this vulnerability could allow a malicious local user or an attacker with initial system access to corrupt model training data, exfiltrate proprietary datasets, or disrupt scheduled jobs. The requirement for user interaction and local access limits exposure to insider threats, compromised service accounts, and multi-stage attack chains where an attacker already has shell access.

Affected systems

NVIDIA DALI is affected. The vendor_products field in the source data is empty, indicating that specific product versions have not been disclosed or catalogued in the structured advisory data available at time of publication. Verify the NVIDIA security advisory for complete version scope, affected configurations, and platform details (Linux, containerized environments, etc.). Check whether your deployment matches the vulnerable component and code paths described in the official advisory.

Exploitability

Exploitability is moderate. The vulnerability requires local code execution or user access to the system running DALI, a pre-condition that significantly reduces the attack surface compared to remote exploits. User interaction is required, meaning an attacker must trick or socially engineer a user into performing a specific action or processing untrusted input. However, once those conditions are met, the overflow is straightforward to trigger, and modern heap exploitation techniques may apply depending on heap allocator behavior and protections enabled on the target system. This is not an unauthenticated remote attack.

Remediation

Apply the security patch released by NVIDIA. Verify the specific version numbers and availability in the NVIDIA security advisory corresponding to this CVE. As an interim mitigation, restrict local system access to trusted users only, disable unnecessary user accounts, and enforce strong authentication for service accounts running DALI. In containerized deployments, run DALI containers with minimal privileges and drop unnecessary Linux capabilities. Monitor process behavior for unexpected crashes or memory access patterns.

Patch guidance

Visit the NVIDIA security advisory for CVE-2026-24180 to identify the patched version(s) for your DALI installation. Patches are typically cumulative; update to the latest stable release or the earliest patched version that matches your deployment requirements. Test patches in a non-production environment first, particularly if DALI is central to data pipelines. Document the patched version and deployment date for compliance and incident response readiness.

Detection guidance

Monitor for heap-based buffer overflow indicators: application crashes or segmentation faults in DALI processes, particularly when processing untrusted input or large data files; unexpected memory exhaustion; core dumps or crash logs mentioning heap corruption. Implement file integrity monitoring on DALI binaries and shared libraries to detect unauthorized modification. Log all user actions on systems running DALI, especially file uploads and data processing requests. Network-based detection is limited due to the local attack vector, but monitor for unusual inter-process communication or signals sent to DALI. In containerized environments, enable runtime security tools that flag memory violations or abnormal system calls.

Why prioritize this

Prioritize this vulnerability medium-to-high depending on your organization's use of DALI and the presence of untrusted local users or service accounts on DALI-hosting systems. The HIGH CVSS score (7.3) reflects severe impact potential—code execution and data corruption—but the local-only attack vector and user interaction requirement lower practical risk for well-hardened systems with restricted local access. Organizations running DALI in multi-tenant or shared computing environments, or where data scientists handle external datasets, should patch urgently. Single-user research systems or air-gapped deployments face lower near-term risk but should still be addressed within standard patch cycles.

Risk score, explained

The CVSS v3.1 score of 7.3 (HIGH) combines a local attack vector and low attack complexity with high impact across all three confidentiality, integrity, and availability dimensions. The requirement for user interaction and low privileges slightly reduce the severity compared to a privileged or remote variant. The unchanged scope means exploitation does not break out of the DALI process boundary to affect other system components, containing (but not eliminating) the blast radius. This score appropriately reflects that while exploitation is feasible and impact is severe, it is not a trivial unauthenticated network vulnerability.

Frequently asked questions