CVE-2025-23277: NVIDIA Display Driver DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-23277 Overview

CVE-2025-23277 is an out-of-bounds memory access vulnerability in the NVIDIA Display Driver kernel mode component. The flaw affects NVIDIA Display Driver installations on both Linux and Windows platforms. An attacker with local access can read or write memory regions outside the bounds permitted under normal operation. Successful exploitation can lead to denial of service, data tampering, or information disclosure. The issue is tracked under [CWE-284] Improper Access Control and requires local privileges plus user interaction to exploit.

Critical Impact
Local attackers can trigger out-of-bounds memory access in the NVIDIA kernel mode driver, resulting in denial of service, data tampering, or disclosure of sensitive kernel memory.

Affected Products

NVIDIA Display Driver for Linux
NVIDIA Display Driver for Windows
NVIDIA kernel mode driver component

Discovery Timeline

2025-08-02 - CVE-2025-23277 published to NVD
2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-23277

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the kernel mode driver shipped with the NVIDIA Display Driver for Linux and Windows. The driver fails to properly enforce boundary checks when handling specific memory operations from user mode. An authenticated local user can craft input that causes the driver to access memory outside the expected allocation. Because the code runs in kernel context, the impact extends beyond a typical user-mode crash and affects system stability and confidentiality. The CWE-284 classification reflects an access control failure where the driver permits operations that should be rejected. Exploitation requires user interaction, which suggests a triggering action such as loading a crafted shader, executing a graphics workload, or invoking a specific IOCTL through an application.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient validation of bounds within a kernel mode driver code path. The driver accepts parameters or processes data structures that reference memory regions beyond the legitimate buffer. Without correct length or offset checks, the driver performs reads or writes that cross allocation boundaries.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local. An attacker needs valid local credentials on the target system and must induce user interaction to trigger the vulnerable code path. Typical exploitation involves a local application or process that issues crafted requests to the NVIDIA kernel driver. The result can be a kernel crash producing denial of service, modification of kernel memory contents, or exposure of memory belonging to other processes or the kernel itself. See the NVIDIA Customer Support Answer for vendor-supplied technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-23277

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected system crashes, blue screens, or kernel panics referencing NVIDIA driver modules such as nvlddmkm.sys on Windows or nvidia.ko on Linux.
Repeated GPU driver resets or display subsystem failures correlated with execution of unsigned or untrusted local processes.
Anomalous IOCTL traffic to NVIDIA device handles originating from low-privilege user processes.

Detection Strategies

Monitor kernel crash dumps and Event Log entries for faults attributed to the NVIDIA Display Driver.
Correlate process creation telemetry with subsequent driver fault events to identify the triggering binary.
Audit local processes that open handles to NVIDIA GPU devices and issue large or malformed control codes.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable endpoint telemetry collection for kernel module load events and driver fault traces.
Track installed NVIDIA Display Driver versions across the fleet and flag hosts running unpatched builds.
Alert on local privilege escalation attempts that coincide with NVIDIA driver activity in process timelines.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-23277

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the security update referenced in the NVIDIA security bulletin to all affected Linux and Windows systems running the NVIDIA Display Driver.
Inventory endpoints, workstations, and servers with NVIDIA GPUs and prioritize patching of multi-user and developer workstations.
Restrict local interactive logon and limit installation of untrusted applications on systems with NVIDIA GPUs.

Patch Information

NVIDIA has published guidance and updated driver packages addressing CVE-2025-23277. Refer to the NVIDIA Customer Support Answer for the list of fixed driver versions for each affected platform and product line. Install the vendor-supplied driver update through standard distribution channels or the NVIDIA driver downloads portal.

Workarounds

Limit local access to systems with affected NVIDIA drivers and enforce least privilege for interactive users.
Block execution of untrusted applications that can issue GPU driver requests, using application control policies.
Where GPU acceleration is not required, consider disabling or removing the NVIDIA Display Driver until patches are applied.

bash

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

# Verify installed NVIDIA driver version on Windows (PowerShell)
Get-CimInstance Win32_VideoController | Select-Object Name, DriverVersion