CVE-2023-25516: Nvidia GPU Display Driver Vulnerability

CVE-2023-25516 Overview

CVE-2023-25516 is an integer overflow vulnerability in the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Linux. The vulnerability exists in the kernel mode layer, where an unprivileged user can trigger an integer overflow condition. Successful exploitation may lead to information disclosure and denial of service, compromising both system confidentiality and availability.

Critical Impact

Unprivileged local attackers can exploit this integer overflow vulnerability to access sensitive information or cause system instability, potentially disrupting critical GPU-accelerated workloads.

Affected Products

• NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Linux (various versions)
• Linux systems running affected NVIDIA kernel mode drivers
• GPU-accelerated computing environments with vulnerable driver installations

Discovery Timeline

• 2023-07-04 - CVE-2023-25516 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2023-25516

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-190 (Integer Overflow or Wraparound). Integer overflow vulnerabilities occur when an arithmetic operation attempts to create a numeric value outside the range that can be represented within the allocated storage space. In the context of the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver's kernel mode layer, this flaw allows an unprivileged user to manipulate calculations that exceed integer boundaries, leading to unexpected behavior in memory handling operations.

The kernel mode layer of GPU display drivers operates with elevated privileges and handles critical memory management operations. When an integer overflow occurs in this context, it can cause the driver to misallocate memory buffers or miscalculate data sizes, potentially exposing kernel memory contents or causing the system to become unresponsive.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2023-25516 is insufficient validation of integer arithmetic operations within the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver's kernel mode layer. When processing user-controlled input values, the driver fails to adequately check for overflow conditions before performing calculations that determine memory allocation sizes or buffer boundaries. This oversight allows attackers to supply crafted values that cause integer wraparound, resulting in smaller-than-expected allocations or incorrect bounds checking.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is local, requiring the attacker to have low-privileged access to a system running the vulnerable NVIDIA GPU Display Driver. The exploitation does not require user interaction and operates within the local system scope.

An attacker with local access can interact with the NVIDIA driver through standard interfaces such as device files or ioctl calls. By supplying carefully crafted input values designed to trigger integer overflow conditions, the attacker can manipulate the driver's internal calculations. This can lead to out-of-bounds memory access, enabling the attacker to read sensitive kernel memory (information disclosure) or corrupt memory structures causing system instability (denial of service).

The vulnerability mechanism involves sending specially crafted requests to the kernel mode driver that contain integer values near the maximum representable range. When these values are used in arithmetic operations without proper overflow checking, the result wraps around to a much smaller value, leading to undersized buffer allocations or incorrect boundary calculations.

Detection Methods for CVE-2023-25516

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected system crashes or kernel panics related to NVIDIA driver operations
• Unusual memory access patterns or error messages in system logs referencing the NVIDIA kernel module
• Anomalous ioctl calls or device interactions targeting NVIDIA GPU devices
• Evidence of local privilege escalation attempts following GPU driver interactions

Detection Strategies

• Monitor kernel logs for NVIDIA driver errors, particularly those involving memory allocation failures or unexpected values
• Implement system call auditing to detect suspicious ioctl operations targeting /dev/nvidia* device files
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of monitoring kernel module behavior and detecting anomalous GPU driver interactions
• Use integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized modifications to NVIDIA driver files

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable kernel audit logging for device file operations related to NVIDIA GPU interfaces
• Implement SentinelOne's kernel-level monitoring capabilities to detect exploitation attempts targeting GPU drivers
• Configure alerts for repeated NVIDIA driver crashes or memory-related errors that may indicate exploitation attempts
• Monitor for unusual processes interacting with GPU device files, especially from low-privilege user contexts

How to Mitigate CVE-2023-25516

Immediate Actions Required

• Update to the latest NVIDIA GPU Display Driver version that addresses this vulnerability
• Restrict local system access to trusted users only
• Review system logs for evidence of potential exploitation attempts
• Implement network segmentation to limit lateral movement opportunities for attackers who may leverage this vulnerability

Patch Information

NVIDIA has released security updates addressing this vulnerability. System administrators should consult the NVIDIA Customer Support Resolution for detailed patch information and download links for corrected driver versions. Ensure that all systems running NVIDIA GPU Display Drivers on Linux are updated to patched versions as soon as possible.

Workarounds

• Limit local system access to only necessary personnel until patches can be applied
• Consider temporarily disabling non-essential GPU functionality in high-security environments
• Implement strict access controls on NVIDIA device files (/dev/nvidia*) to restrict interaction to authorized processes
• Monitor systems closely for signs of exploitation while awaiting patch deployment

# Verify current NVIDIA driver version
nvidia-smi --query-gpu=driver_version --format=csv,noheader

# Check NVIDIA kernel modules
lsmod | grep nvidia

# Review device file permissions
ls -la /dev/nvidia*