CVE-2025-33251: NVIDIA NeMo Framework RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-33251 Overview

CVE-2025-33251 is a code injection vulnerability (CWE-94) in the NVIDIA NeMo Framework that enables attackers to achieve remote code execution. The NeMo Framework is NVIDIA's popular toolkit for building AI applications, including automatic speech recognition, natural language processing, and text-to-speech systems. A successful exploit of this vulnerability could lead to code execution, denial of service, information disclosure, and data tampering, making it a significant security concern for organizations utilizing this AI framework.

Critical Impact

This vulnerability allows attackers with local access to execute arbitrary code, potentially compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of AI/ML workloads and associated sensitive data processed by the NeMo Framework.

Affected Products

• NVIDIA NeMo Framework (specific versions detailed in vendor advisory)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-18 - CVE-2025-33251 published to NVD
• 2026-02-18 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-33251

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as a Code Injection flaw (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code). Code injection vulnerabilities occur when an application does not properly validate or sanitize user-controlled input before incorporating it into dynamically generated code. In the context of the NVIDIA NeMo Framework, this type of vulnerability could allow an attacker to inject malicious code that is subsequently executed by the application.

The local attack vector requires an attacker to have some level of access to the target system, though exploitation requires only low privileges. The potential impact spans all three core security pillars: confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. Given NeMo's use in AI/ML pipelines that often process sensitive training data and model parameters, successful exploitation could expose proprietary models, training datasets, or enable tampering with AI model outputs.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-33251 stems from improper control of code generation within the NVIDIA NeMo Framework. This typically manifests when user-supplied input is incorporated into code constructs without adequate validation or sanitization, allowing injection of arbitrary executable code. In AI/ML frameworks like NeMo, such vulnerabilities may arise in model loading, configuration parsing, or plugin execution pathways where dynamic code evaluation occurs.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability requires local access to the target system with low privilege requirements. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious input that, when processed by the NeMo Framework, results in the execution of attacker-controlled code. The attack does not require user interaction, making it particularly dangerous in automated pipeline environments.

Given that no verified code examples are available, readers should consult the NVIDIA Support Article for detailed technical information about the exploitation mechanism and affected code paths.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-33251

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected code execution or process spawning originating from NeMo Framework processes
• Anomalous file system access patterns by processes associated with NeMo workloads
• Unusual network connections initiated from systems running the NeMo Framework
• Unauthorized modifications to AI model files, configurations, or training data

Detection Strategies

• Monitor process execution chains for unexpected child processes spawned by NeMo Framework components
• Implement file integrity monitoring on NeMo configuration files and model storage directories
• Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting code injection patterns
• Review application logs for indicators of malformed input processing or unexpected code execution

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for NeMo Framework operations to capture potential exploitation attempts
• Establish baseline behavior for NeMo workloads and alert on deviations
• Monitor system calls made by NeMo processes for suspicious patterns such as shell execution or network operations
• Implement real-time alerting for any code execution anomalies within AI/ML pipeline infrastructure

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-33251

Immediate Actions Required

• Review the NVIDIA Support Article for patch availability and upgrade guidance
• Conduct an inventory of all systems running the NVIDIA NeMo Framework to assess exposure
• Restrict local access to systems running NeMo to only essential personnel and processes
• Implement network segmentation to isolate AI/ML workloads from broader infrastructure

Patch Information

NVIDIA has published a security advisory addressing this vulnerability. Organizations should consult the NVIDIA Support Article for detailed patch information, affected version ranges, and upgrade instructions. Apply the latest security patches as soon as they become available to remediate this vulnerability.

Workarounds

• Implement strict input validation for any data processed by the NeMo Framework
• Apply the principle of least privilege to accounts and processes interacting with NeMo
• Deploy application-level sandboxing to contain potential exploitation attempts
• Disable unnecessary features or components within the NeMo Framework that may increase attack surface

# Example: Restrict file permissions on NeMo configuration directories
chmod 750 /path/to/nemo/configs
chown -R nemo_user:nemo_group /path/to/nemo/configs

# Example: Run NeMo processes with reduced privileges
sudo -u nemo_restricted python nemo_script.py