NVIDIA Infrastructure Controller 2.0 Fixes Critical CVE-2026-65113 and 13 More Flaws
NVIDIA has released Infrastructure Controller 2.0 to fix 14 vulnerabilities affecting the Linux-based infrastructure-management software from versions 0 through 1.9. The most severe issue, CVE-2026-65113, is a hard-coded-credentials vulnerability rated CVSS 9.8 Critical that is reachable over the network without authentication or user interaction.
NVIDIA's September 22, 2026 security bulletin says successful exploitation of CVE-2026-65113 could lead to privilege escalation, data tampering, denial of service and information disclosure. Infrastructure Controller operators should move affected deployments to version 2.0 and review the broader set of authentication, injection and certificate-validation weaknesses fixed in the same release.
The update is especially relevant to AI-infrastructure operators because NVIDIA Infrastructure Controller, also known as NICo, is used to automate bare-metal infrastructure lifecycle management. NVIDIA distributes the software through its public NVIDIA/infra-controller repository.
CVE-2026-65113 is the critical issue
NVIDIA classifies CVE-2026-65113 as CWE-798: Use of Hard-coded Credentials. Its CVSS 3.1 vector is AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
That vector establishes the main exposure characteristics published by NVIDIA: exploitation can originate over the network, attack complexity is low, no privileges are required, and no user interaction is required. NVIDIA assigns high potential impact to confidentiality, integrity and availability.
| Item | NVIDIA advisory |
|---|---|
| CVE | CVE-2026-65113 |
| Severity | Critical |
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.8 |
| Weakness | CWE-798, hard-coded credentials |
| Attack vector | Network |
| Privileges required | None |
| User interaction | None |
| Affected versions | Infrastructure Controller 0–1.9 on Linux |
| Fixed version | 2.0 |
| Potential impact | Privilege escalation, data tampering, denial of service, information disclosure |
NVIDIA's bulletin does not report active exploitation of CVE-2026-65113. The remediation decision can therefore be based on the published exposure and impact rather than an unverified exploitation claim.
Infrastructure Controller 2.0 fixes 14 CVEs
CVE-2026-65113 is part of a larger security update. NVIDIA lists one Critical, five High and eight Medium vulnerabilities across the affected 0–1.9 releases.
| CVE | Weakness | CVSS | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-65113 | Hard-coded credentials | 9.8 | Critical |
| CVE-2026-65128 | SQL injection | 8.8 | High |
| CVE-2026-65114 | Missing authentication for critical function | 8.3 | High |
| CVE-2026-65121 | Improper authentication | 8.2 | High |
| CVE-2026-65130 | OS command injection | 8.0 | High |
| CVE-2026-65118 | Improper certificate validation | 7.5 | High |
| CVE-2026-65129 | Improper certificate validation | 6.7 | Medium |
| CVE-2026-65125 | External control of file name or path | 6.6 | Medium |
| CVE-2026-65115 | Uncontrolled resource consumption | 6.5 | Medium |
| CVE-2026-65112 | Uncontrolled resource consumption | 6.5 | Medium |
| CVE-2026-65124 | XML injection | 5.9 | Medium |
| CVE-2026-65126 | Improper workflow enforcement | 5.0 | Medium |
| CVE-2026-65117 | Hard-coded password | 5.0 | Medium |
| CVE-2026-65127 | Uncleared debug information | 4.1 | Medium |
The High-severity set includes several distinct control-plane risks. CVE-2026-65128 is a SQL injection issue that NVIDIA says may lead to code execution, data tampering, denial of service and information disclosure; its vector requires low privileges. CVE-2026-65114 is a missing-authentication flaw with an adjacent-network attack vector and no privileges required. CVE-2026-65130 is an OS command-injection issue with a network vector, high attack complexity and high privileges required.
Two certificate-validation flaws are also included: CVE-2026-65118 at CVSS 7.5 and CVE-2026-65129 at CVSS 6.7. Their published vectors require adjacent-network positioning.
Which versions need the update
NVIDIA's fixed-version table is unusually simple: every CVE in the bulletin affects NVIDIA Infrastructure Controller for Linux versions 0 through 1.9, and every listed vulnerability is fixed in version 2.0.
Operators can therefore treat 2.0 as the security floor for this bulletin instead of maintaining a separate version matrix for each CVE.
NVIDIA directs users to clone or update Infrastructure Controller from the project's official GitHub repository. Production environments should verify the deployed software version across every controller instance rather than assuming that updating a repository or deployment definition changed all running nodes.
Practical remediation checklist
- Inventory Infrastructure Controller instances. Identify production, staging, disaster-recovery and management-plane deployments and record their running versions.
- Upgrade versions 0–1.9 to 2.0. Use NVIDIA's official Infrastructure Controller repository and deployment guidance for the environment.
- Confirm the running version after rollout. Validate each controller instance rather than relying only on an image tag, manifest change or source checkout.
- Review management-plane reachability. CVE-2026-65113 has a network attack vector and requires no privileges. Keep controller interfaces restricted to the networks and principals that require administrative access.
- Review authentication and secret exposure. The bulletin contains both hard-coded-credential/password findings and authentication weaknesses. Where operational evidence indicates credentials or secrets may have been exposed, rotate the affected credentials and review access logs.
- Inspect for abnormal control-plane activity. Preserve and review authentication, API, orchestration and system logs around the vulnerable deployment window according to the organization's incident-response policy.
NVIDIA has not published compromise indicators in Bulletin 5879. Incident-response teams should base escalation on their own telemetry and evidence instead of treating the presence of an affected version alone as proof of compromise.
Why the management-plane scope matters
Infrastructure controllers sit in a privileged operational position: they coordinate systems that provision and manage underlying compute infrastructure. Authentication and credential failures in this layer therefore deserve priority even when the affected software is isolated from ordinary application traffic.
The 14-CVE set also spans multiple security boundaries—credentials, authentication, SQL and command injection, certificate validation, path control and resource handling. Upgrading to 2.0 addresses the complete bulletin rather than only the headline Critical CVE.
For operators, the immediate decision is straightforward: Infrastructure Controller 0–1.9 is inside the affected range; 2.0 is the fixed release published by NVIDIA. After upgrading, validate controller reachability and investigate credential exposure when local evidence warrants it.
Sources
- NVIDIA Product Security — Security Bulletin 5879, Infrastructure Controller: https://github.com/NVIDIA/product-security/blob/main/2026/5879/5879.md
- NVIDIA Product Security — CVE-2026-65113 machine-readable record: https://github.com/NVIDIA/product-security/blob/main/2026/5879/CVE-2026-65113.json
- NVIDIA Infrastructure Controller repository: https://github.com/NVIDIA/infra-controller
- NVD — CVE-2026-65113: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-65113
- Security NEXT — independent September 24 coverage of the 14-CVE update: https://www.security-next.com/190611