CVE-2025-33228: NVIDIA Nsight Systems RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-33228 Overview

CVE-2025-33228 is a command injection vulnerability affecting NVIDIA Nsight Systems, a widely-used performance analysis and debugging tool for developers working with NVIDIA hardware and software. The vulnerability exists in the gfx_hotspot recipe, specifically within the process_nsys_rep_cli.py script. An attacker with local access could exploit this flaw by supplying a maliciously crafted string to the script when it is invoked manually, allowing arbitrary OS commands to be executed.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation could lead to code execution, privilege escalation, data tampering, denial of service, and information disclosure on affected systems.

Affected Products

• NVIDIA Nsight Systems (specific affected versions should be verified via NVIDIA's security advisory)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-20 - CVE-2025-33228 published to NVD
• 2026-01-20 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-33228

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command), commonly known as OS command injection. The flaw exists because the process_nsys_rep_cli.py script within the gfx_hotspot recipe fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before passing it to the operating system shell for execution.

When an attacker provides a malicious string containing shell metacharacters or command sequences, these are interpreted by the underlying shell rather than being treated as literal data. This allows the attacker to break out of the intended command context and execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the user running the script.

The vulnerability requires local access and user interaction (the script must be invoked manually), which somewhat limits the attack surface compared to remotely exploitable vulnerabilities. However, in development environments where Nsight Systems is commonly deployed, this could still pose significant risk, particularly in scenarios where:

• Multiple developers share workstations or servers
• Automated build pipelines invoke the vulnerable script
• Shared data inputs are processed without verification

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient input validation and sanitization in the process_nsys_rep_cli.py script. The script appears to concatenate user-provided input directly into shell commands without escaping special characters or using parameterized command execution methods. This allows shell metacharacters such as ;, |, &&, ||, `, and $() to be interpreted by the shell.

Proper remediation typically involves using subprocess calls with argument lists (avoiding shell=True), implementing strict input validation with allowlists, or properly escaping all shell metacharacters before command execution.

Attack Vector

The attack requires local access to the system where NVIDIA Nsight Systems is installed. An attacker would need to:

1. Identify that the vulnerable process_nsys_rep_cli.py script is present on the target system
2. Craft a malicious input string containing shell command injection payloads
3. Convince a user or automated process to invoke the script with the malicious input, or directly invoke it if they have execution privileges

The malicious input could contain command separators (;) to append additional commands, command substitution syntax (`command` or $(command)), or pipe operators (|) to redirect output to malicious commands. For detailed technical analysis, refer to the NVIDIA Support Answer.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-33228

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual command-line arguments passed to process_nsys_rep_cli.py containing shell metacharacters
• Unexpected child processes spawned by Python interpreters running Nsight Systems scripts
• Suspicious process chains originating from NVIDIA Nsight Systems components
• Anomalous system calls or file access patterns following script execution

Detection Strategies

• Monitor process execution for invocations of process_nsys_rep_cli.py with suspicious arguments containing characters like ;, |, &&, `, or $()
• Implement endpoint detection rules to alert on unexpected child processes spawned by NVIDIA Nsight Systems Python scripts
• Deploy file integrity monitoring on Nsight Systems installation directories to detect unauthorized modifications
• Review audit logs for privilege escalation events following Nsight Systems script execution

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable command-line argument logging for Python interpreter processes in development environments
• Configure SIEM rules to correlate Nsight Systems script execution with subsequent suspicious activities
• Implement application allowlisting to control which scripts can invoke shell commands
• Monitor network connections initiated by processes spawned from Nsight Systems components

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-33228

Immediate Actions Required

• Review and restrict access to the process_nsys_rep_cli.py script to trusted users only
• Avoid manually invoking the vulnerable script until a patch is applied
• Audit recent usage of Nsight Systems scripts for potential compromise indicators
• Implement strict input validation for any automated systems that call the vulnerable script

Patch Information

NVIDIA has released information regarding this vulnerability. Users should consult the NVIDIA Support Answer for the latest patched version of Nsight Systems and follow NVIDIA's recommended upgrade procedures. Always verify downloads through official NVIDIA channels and validate package integrity before installation.

Workarounds

• Restrict file system permissions on the gfx_hotspot recipe directory to prevent unauthorized script execution
• Implement wrapper scripts that sanitize inputs before passing them to process_nsys_rep_cli.py
• Use application control policies to limit which users can execute Nsight Systems scripts
• Isolate development environments where Nsight Systems is used from sensitive production systems

If patching is not immediately possible, consider the following temporary configuration approach to restrict script access:

# Restrict execution permissions on the vulnerable script
chmod 700 /path/to/nsight-systems/gfx_hotspot/process_nsys_rep_cli.py

# Verify current permissions
ls -la /path/to/nsight-systems/gfx_hotspot/process_nsys_rep_cli.py

# Consider moving the script to a controlled location until patched
# mv /path/to/nsight-systems/gfx_hotspot/process_nsys_rep_cli.py /secure/backup/