GPUBreach Attack: GPU Rowhammer Leads to Full System Compromise

Researchers have unveiled a novel attack dubbed GPUBreach, capable of leveraging Rowhammer bit-flips on GPU GDDR6 memory to achieve privilege escalation and ultimately, complete system takeover. This isn’t just about corrupting data; GPUBreach targets GPU page tables (PTEs) to grant an unprivileged CUDA kernel arbitrary read/write access to GPU memory. According to the researchers, this capability can then be chained with exploits for memory-safety bugs found in NVIDIA drivers, potentially leading to a root shell on the CPU.

What’s particularly concerning is that GPUBreach can bypass Input-Output Memory Management Unit (IOMMU) protections, a hardware safeguard typically effective against direct memory access (DMA) attacks. The University of Toronto team, who developed the exploit, will present their findings at the IEEE Symposium on Security & Privacy. They emphasize that GPUBreach represents a significant advancement, moving GPU Rowhammer attacks from mere data corruption to potent privilege escalation, even when IOMMU is active.