CVE-2023-25516: Nvidia GPU Display Driver Vulnerability

CVE-2023-25516 Overview

CVE-2023-25516 is an integer overflow vulnerability [CWE-190] in the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Linux. The flaw resides in the kernel mode layer of the driver. An unprivileged local user can trigger the overflow through crafted input to the driver. Successful exploitation may lead to information disclosure or denial of service on the affected host.

The vulnerability requires local access with low privileges and does not require user interaction. NVIDIA published the issue in security advisory ID 5468 and addressed it through driver updates across supported branches.

Critical Impact

Local unprivileged users can trigger an integer overflow in the NVIDIA Linux GPU kernel driver, resulting in kernel memory disclosure and denial of service on workstations and GPU-accelerated servers.

Affected Products

• NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Linux (multiple branches)
• Workstations and servers running affected NVIDIA proprietary Linux drivers
• GPU-accelerated Linux compute and rendering systems

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

The vulnerability is an integer overflow [CWE-190] in the kernel mode layer of the NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Linux. Integer overflow conditions occur when arithmetic operations produce values that exceed the storage capacity of the underlying integer type. In kernel drivers, these miscalculations frequently influence buffer size computations, loop bounds, or memory allocation parameters.

The attack vector is local, and the attacker requires only low privileges on the host. No user interaction is needed to trigger the condition. The impact profile shows high confidentiality and availability impact with no integrity impact, consistent with kernel memory disclosure and a driver crash that takes down the GPU subsystem or the kernel.

Root Cause

The root cause is unchecked or improperly validated arithmetic within the kernel mode layer of the NVIDIA driver. When an unprivileged process supplies values through the driver's user-mode interface, the kernel computes derived sizes or offsets without bounding the result. The wrapped value then drives subsequent memory operations, exposing adjacent kernel data or destabilizing the driver state.

Attack Vector

A local attacker with a valid user session opens a device node exposed by the NVIDIA kernel driver, typically /dev/nvidia*. The attacker issues an ioctl or similar request containing crafted size or count parameters. The kernel arithmetic overflows, producing an undersized allocation or out-of-bounds read. The attacker then reads back kernel memory through the driver response channel or triggers a fault that halts GPU services. See the NVIDIA Security Bulletin ID 5468 for the official technical description and affected driver branches.

Detection Methods for CVE-2023-25516

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes of nvidia.ko or related kernel modules recorded in dmesg or /var/log/kern.log
• GPU service interruptions, X server crashes, or CUDA workload failures correlated with unprivileged process activity
• Unusual ioctl traffic from non-administrative users against /dev/nvidia0, /dev/nvidiactl, or /dev/nvidia-uvm

Detection Strategies

• Inventory installed NVIDIA driver versions across Linux hosts using nvidia-smi --query-gpu=driver_version --format=csv and compare against fixed releases in advisory 5468
• Audit kernel logs for Oops, BUG, or general protection fault messages referencing NVIDIA symbols
• Monitor for processes invoking the NVIDIA device interface from accounts that should not have GPU workloads

Monitoring Recommendations

• Forward kernel ring buffer and auditd events to a central log platform for retention and correlation
• Alert on repeated NVIDIA driver faults from the same user session, which can indicate exploitation attempts
• Track GPU node availability and driver restart counts as part of operational telemetry

How to Mitigate CVE-2023-25516

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the NVIDIA Linux driver updates listed in NVIDIA Security Bulletin 5468 to all affected systems
• Restrict shell access on GPU-equipped Linux hosts to trusted administrators and workload users only
• Audit which local accounts have read access to NVIDIA device nodes and remove unnecessary permissions

Patch Information

NVIDIA released fixed driver versions across its supported Linux branches. Administrators should consult NVIDIA Security Bulletin ID 5468 for the specific driver versions corresponding to their deployed branch (production, new feature, or data center). Update through the package manager or the official NVIDIA installer, then reboot to load the patched kernel module.

Workarounds

• Where patching is not immediately possible, limit interactive logins on GPU hosts and enforce multi-user separation
• Constrain workloads to containerized or sandboxed runtimes that mediate access to GPU device nodes
• Disable the NVIDIA driver on systems that do not require GPU acceleration until the update is applied

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

# Example update path on Debian/Ubuntu after adding the updated NVIDIA repository
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade nvidia-driver-<branch>
sudo reboot