CVE-2025-33230: NVIDIA Nsight Systems Installer RCE Flaw

CVE-2025-33230 Overview

CVE-2025-33230 is a command injection vulnerability affecting NVIDIA Nsight Systems for Linux. The vulnerability exists within the .run installer, where an attacker can inject arbitrary OS commands by supplying a malicious string to the installation path parameter. This flaw allows attackers with local access to potentially escalate privileges, execute arbitrary code, tamper with data, cause denial of service, and disclose sensitive information.

Critical Impact

Local attackers can achieve privilege escalation, arbitrary code execution, and data compromise by exploiting improper input validation in the NVIDIA Nsight Systems installer path handling.

Affected Products

• NVIDIA Nsight Systems for Linux (.run installer)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-20 - CVE-2025-33230 published to NVD
• 2026-01-20 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-33230

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command), commonly known as OS Command Injection. The NVIDIA Nsight Systems .run installer for Linux fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input when processing the installation path parameter. When a user specifies a custom installation directory, the installer passes this path to shell commands without adequate validation or escaping.

An attacker who can influence the installation path—either by tricking a legitimate user into using a malicious path or by directly executing the installer with crafted arguments—can inject shell metacharacters and commands. The injected commands execute with the same privileges as the installer process, which typically runs with elevated permissions during software installation.

The local attack vector requires the attacker to either have direct access to the target system or convince a user to run the installer with a specially crafted path. While this requires some user interaction, the potential impact is severe, as successful exploitation can result in complete system compromise.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient input validation and sanitization in the .run installer's path handling code. When the installation path is passed to shell commands or scripts within the installer, special characters such as semicolons (;), backticks (`), dollar signs with parentheses ($()), and pipe characters (|) are not properly escaped or filtered. This allows command injection when the path string is interpreted by the shell.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local, requiring the attacker to have access to the target Linux system or the ability to influence how the installer is executed. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by:

1. Directly executing the installer with a malicious installation path containing shell metacharacters
2. Social engineering a user to run the installer with a crafted path argument
3. Modifying automated deployment scripts that use the Nsight Systems installer

The malicious path would contain embedded shell commands that execute when the installer processes the path. For example, shell metacharacters could be used to break out of the intended path context and execute arbitrary commands with the installer's privileges.

For technical details on the exploitation mechanism and remediation, refer to the NVIDIA Customer Support Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-33230

Indicators of Compromise

• Suspicious execution of NVIDIA Nsight Systems .run installer with unusual or malformed installation path arguments
• Unexpected child processes spawned from the installer process
• System log entries showing command execution failures or syntax errors during Nsight Systems installation
• Anomalous privilege escalation events correlated with installer execution times

Detection Strategies

• Monitor process execution for NVIDIA .run installers with path arguments containing shell metacharacters (;, |, `, $(), &&)
• Implement file integrity monitoring on system directories during installation procedures
• Configure endpoint detection to alert on unexpected command execution patterns from installer processes
• Review installation logs for evidence of command injection attempts or failed parsing

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for software installation activities on Linux systems
• Deploy behavioral analysis to detect anomalous process trees originating from installer executables
• Implement command-line argument auditing for privileged installer processes
• Correlate installation events with subsequent privilege escalation or lateral movement indicators

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-33230

Immediate Actions Required

• Review and update NVIDIA Nsight Systems installations to patched versions as soon as NVIDIA releases an update
• Restrict execution of .run installers to trusted administrators only
• Validate installation paths manually before executing any Nsight Systems installer
• Temporarily suspend automated deployments that use the vulnerable installer until patches are applied

Patch Information

NVIDIA has acknowledged this vulnerability. Organizations should consult the NVIDIA Customer Support Advisory for the latest patch information and updated installer versions. Apply patches immediately once available, prioritizing systems where Nsight Systems is actively used for development or profiling activities.

Workarounds

• Use only trusted, validated installation paths without special characters when running the Nsight Systems installer
• Run the installer in isolated environments or containers to limit the impact of potential exploitation
• Implement strict access controls to prevent untrusted users from executing the installer
• Consider using package manager installations (if available) instead of the .run installer until patched versions are released

When executing the installer, ensure the path is properly quoted and contains only alphanumeric characters, underscores, and forward slashes. Avoid paths from untrusted sources or user-controllable inputs.