What is CVE-2016-8821?

CVE-2016-8821 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows, classified under Improper Access Control. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2016-12-16.

How severe is CVE-2016-8821?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.

Vulnerability in Microsoft Windows

CVE-2016-8821

All versions of NVIDIA Windows GPU Display Driver contain a vulnerability in the kernel mode layer handler for DxgDdiEscape where improper access controls may allow a user to access arbitrary physical memory, leading to an escalation of privileges.

Published 2016-12-16 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.003 (23.2th percentile), scored 2026-09-30.

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 23rd percentile — 23.2% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.003 · newest: 0.003 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Microsoft Windows
NVIDIA GPU Driver
NVIDIA Corporation Windows GPU Display Driver — versions All

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-284 — Improper Access Control

References

www.securityfocus.com/bid/95025 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry)
nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4278 (Patch, Vendor Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-8821?: CVE-2016-8821 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows, classified under Improper Access Control. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2016-12-16.
How severe is CVE-2016-8821?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.