The latest Nvidia GPU driver plugs a bunch of security holes

GeForce RTX 2080 Super graphics card
(Image credit: Nvidia)

Several days ago, Nvidia pushed out a new GeForce driver update, version 441.12. The highlight of the latest driver is it's optimized for Red Dead Redemption 2, though there's another reason to consider installing it—to plug several security holes.

Nvidia posted a security bulletin that outlines nine different vulnerabilities that were recently patched. The most severe are CVE-2019-5690 and CVE-2019-5691, both of which could lead to a denial of service (DoS) attack. There are several others that could as well.

On consumer GeForce cards, the vulnerabilities exist on all versions prior to 441.12, which was released on November 4. Some people prefer to wait a bit before installing a new driver, to make there are no issues with it. However, if you're running anything earlier, you may want to update to the latest release to stave off these potential threats, even if you don't plan to play RDR2. (Maybe you're hoping it will get marked down when the Black Friday deals arrive.)

You can check out the security bulletin for more details, and can grab the latest driver either through GeForce Experience, or by going here. Also check out our guide on how to update drivers for tips on best practices.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated there was a 444.12 driver release. At the time of this writing, 441.12 is the latest driver.

Paul Lilly

Paul has been playing PC games and raking his knuckles on computer hardware since the Commodore 64. He does not have any tattoos, but thinks it would be cool to get one that reads LOAD"*",8,1. In his off time, he rides motorcycles and wrestles alligators (only one of those is true).