Nvidia recently issued an information security warning, reminding users to enable the GPU system-level ECC (correct error memory) function to prevent Rowhammer attacks and avoid memory data being modified, resulting in system instability or data eja...
Nvidia recently issued an information security warning, reminding users to enable the GPU system-level ECC (correct error memory) function to prevent Rowhammer attacks and avoid memory data being modified, resulting in system instability or data ejaculation.
This warning was caused by the experience of the University of Toronto Research Group. They successfully used an ECC-enabled NVIDIA A6000 GPU (with GDDR6 memory) to achieve Rowhammer attack, showing that even workstation-level hardware has potential security risks.
Nvidia's Hopper and Blackwell series data center GPUs have the ECC function pre-installed. Other series such as Jetson, Ampere, Volta, etc. recommend that users actively check whether the system is enabled.
The so-called Rowhammer is a layered attack method that highlights the memory hardware. The attacker only needs to re-access a specific memory row at high speed, just like constantly hitting a special area with a gun. This impact may affect the relative memory process. If the watch keeps hitting the wall on both sides, causing paint or cracks to appear in the middle. In the end, such interference will cause bit flips, causing the original data content to change, and thus potential security vulnerabilities.
For this type of attack, ECC can solve this problem well. This technology can automatically compare and correct errors in memory reading by adding additional parity bits to the data to improve data security.
As AI is widely used in GPU, smart car, edge computing and other devices, system security risks continue to increase. If the hardware protection is not properly configured, high-risk incidents such as electric vehicles being controlled remotely, platform data ejaculation, and even passengers being operated by cryptocurrency operations may occur.
This incident also highlighted that security guards need to extend downward to the hard layer. If the structure is lacking, even the most powerful computing power may become an entrance to risk amplification.
Nvidia warns its GPUs – even Blackwells – need protection against Rowhammer attacks
