CVE-2025-33181 Overview
NVIDIA Cumulus Linux and NVOS products contain a command injection vulnerability in the NVUE (NVIDIA User Experience) interface. This security flaw allows a low-privileged user to inject malicious commands through the NVUE interface, potentially leading to escalation of privileges on affected systems. The vulnerability requires local access and some user interaction to exploit successfully.
Critical Impact
A successful exploit of this vulnerability could allow attackers to escalate privileges from a low-privileged user account, potentially gaining elevated access to network infrastructure running NVIDIA Cumulus Linux or NVOS.
Affected Products
- NVIDIA Cumulus Linux (NVUE interface)
- NVIDIA NVOS (NVUE interface)
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-02-24 - CVE-2025-33181 published to NVD
- 2026-02-24 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-33181
Vulnerability Analysis
This vulnerability is classified as CWE-77 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command), commonly known as Command Injection. The flaw exists within the NVUE interface of NVIDIA Cumulus Linux and NVOS products, which serves as the primary management interface for network switch configuration.
The vulnerability allows a user with low-level privileges on the system to craft specially designed input that, when processed by the NVUE interface, results in the execution of arbitrary system commands. Because the commands execute in the context of a higher-privileged process, this can lead to privilege escalation on the affected device.
Network switches running affected NVIDIA software are critical infrastructure components, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for enterprise and data center environments where unauthorized privilege escalation could compromise network integrity.
Root Cause
The root cause of this vulnerability lies in improper input validation and sanitization within the NVUE interface. When processing user-supplied input, the interface fails to adequately neutralize special characters or command separators that could be interpreted as shell commands. This allows an attacker to append or inject additional commands that execute with elevated privileges.
The NVUE interface is designed to simplify network configuration management, but insufficient input filtering allows low-privileged users to bypass intended privilege boundaries.
Attack Vector
The attack requires local access to the affected system. An attacker must first obtain valid credentials for a low-privileged account on a device running vulnerable versions of NVIDIA Cumulus Linux or NVOS. Once authenticated, the attacker can interact with the NVUE interface and craft malicious input containing command injection payloads.
The exploitation path typically involves:
- Authenticating to the affected system with a low-privileged account
- Accessing the NVUE management interface
- Submitting specially crafted input containing shell metacharacters or command separators
- The injected commands execute with elevated privileges, enabling privilege escalation
User interaction is required as part of the attack chain, but the complexity of the attack itself is considered low once an attacker has local access.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-33181
Indicators of Compromise
- Unusual command execution patterns originating from the NVUE interface processes
- Unexpected privilege escalation events on NVIDIA Cumulus Linux or NVOS devices
- Anomalous user activity from low-privileged accounts attempting administrative operations
- Log entries showing unexpected system commands executed through the NVUE interface
Detection Strategies
- Monitor system logs for command injection patterns including shell metacharacters (;, |, &&, ||, backticks) in NVUE interface inputs
- Implement behavioral analysis to detect low-privileged users performing actions that require elevated permissions
- Review authentication logs for suspicious local access patterns on network infrastructure devices
- Deploy host-based intrusion detection to identify unauthorized privilege escalation attempts
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable verbose logging on NVUE interface activities and configure centralized log collection
- Establish baseline behavior for privileged command execution on network switches and alert on deviations
- Monitor for unexpected configuration changes or system modifications on affected devices
- Implement real-time alerting for privilege escalation events across network infrastructure
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-33181
Immediate Actions Required
- Review the NVIDIA Customer Support Advisory for specific patch information and affected version details
- Apply vendor-supplied patches to all NVIDIA Cumulus Linux and NVOS devices as soon as they become available
- Audit user accounts on affected systems and ensure principle of least privilege is enforced
- Restrict local access to network infrastructure devices to only essential personnel
Patch Information
NVIDIA has published a security advisory addressing this vulnerability. Organizations should consult the official NVIDIA Customer Support Advisory for detailed patch information, including specific affected versions and updated software releases. The NVD CVE-2025-33181 Entry provides additional reference information.
Workarounds
- Limit NVUE interface access to only trusted administrative users until patches can be applied
- Implement network segmentation to restrict local access to affected network devices
- Enable additional access controls and authentication requirements for NVUE interface usage
- Monitor all NVUE interface activity and log all commands for security review
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
