CVE-2025-33246: NVIDIA NeMo Framework RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-33246 Overview

CVE-2025-33246 is a command injection vulnerability affecting NVIDIA NeMo Framework across all platforms. The vulnerability exists within the ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition) Evaluator utility, where a user with local access can supply crafted input to a configuration parameter, leading to arbitrary command execution on the underlying system.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to code execution, escalation of privileges, data tampering, or information disclosure on systems running the NVIDIA NeMo Framework.

Affected Products

• NVIDIA NeMo Framework (all platforms)
• Systems utilizing the ASR Evaluator utility component
• AI/ML development environments running NeMo Framework

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-18 - CVE-2025-33246 published to NVD
• 2026-02-18 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-33246

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-77 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command), commonly known as Command Injection. The ASR Evaluator utility in NVIDIA NeMo Framework fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into system commands. When a user provides specially crafted configuration parameters, these values are passed directly to the command interpreter without adequate validation or escaping.

The local attack vector requires the attacker to have local access to the system, though no user interaction is needed beyond providing the malicious input. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the running NeMo Framework process, potentially leading to full system compromise.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the insufficient input validation within the ASR Evaluator utility's configuration parameter handling. The component accepts configuration values that are subsequently used in command construction without proper sanitization, allowing command metacharacters and shell operators to be interpreted by the underlying system shell. This permits attackers to break out of the intended command context and inject additional malicious commands.

Attack Vector

The attack requires local access to a system running NVIDIA NeMo Framework. An attacker must be able to provide input to the ASR Evaluator utility's configuration parameters, either through direct interaction with the utility or by manipulating configuration files. By injecting shell metacharacters (such as ;, |, &&, or backticks) into vulnerable configuration fields, the attacker can cause the system to execute arbitrary commands.

The vulnerability mechanism involves crafted input being passed to the ASR Evaluator configuration handler. When the utility processes these parameters, the injected shell commands are executed by the system. For detailed technical information, refer to the NVIDIA Security Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-33246

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected processes spawned as child processes of NeMo Framework components
• Anomalous command-line arguments containing shell metacharacters in ASR Evaluator logs
• Unusual system calls or file system access patterns from NeMo Framework processes
• Evidence of privilege escalation or lateral movement originating from ML/AI workload systems

Detection Strategies

• Monitor process creation events for suspicious child processes spawned by NeMo Framework
• Implement application-level logging to capture configuration parameter values passed to ASR Evaluator
• Deploy endpoint detection rules to identify command injection patterns in process arguments
• Analyze system logs for unexpected shell command execution from NeMo-related processes

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for NVIDIA NeMo Framework operations
• Configure SIEM alerts for command injection patterns in ML/AI infrastructure
• Monitor file integrity on systems running NeMo Framework for unauthorized modifications
• Track network connections from NeMo processes that may indicate post-exploitation activity

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-33246

Immediate Actions Required

• Review and restrict local access to systems running NVIDIA NeMo Framework
• Audit configuration files used with the ASR Evaluator utility for suspicious content
• Implement application whitelisting to control command execution on affected systems
• Apply the latest security patches from NVIDIA as soon as available

Patch Information

NVIDIA has released security guidance addressing this vulnerability. Organizations should consult the NVIDIA Security Advisory for official patch information and remediation steps. It is recommended to upgrade to the latest version of NVIDIA NeMo Framework that addresses this command injection flaw.

Workarounds

• Restrict access to the ASR Evaluator utility to trusted users only
• Implement strict input validation at the application layer before passing data to NeMo Framework
• Use containerization or sandboxing to limit the impact of potential exploitation
• Monitor and audit all configuration changes to NeMo Framework deployments

# Example: Restrict access to NeMo Framework configuration files
chmod 600 /path/to/nemo/config/*
chown root:root /path/to/nemo/config/*

# Enable audit logging for configuration file access
auditctl -w /path/to/nemo/config/ -p wa -k nemo_config_changes