Introduction - Real Impact and Significance
Privilege escalation, code execution, and data tampering are all possible on Linux systems running unpatched NVIDIA Display Drivers. This vulnerability (CVE-2025-23280, CVSS 7.0) affects a wide range of NVIDIA-powered workstations, servers, and desktops, making it critical for organizations and individuals relying on NVIDIA GPUs for computation, graphics, and AI workloads.
NVIDIA is a dominant force in the GPU and AI hardware sector, with its drivers deployed across millions of Linux and Windows systems. Their products are foundational to gaming, scientific computing, AI research, and enterprise data centers. Security issues in NVIDIA drivers have broad implications for the global tech ecosystem.
Technical Information
CVE-2025-23280 is a use after free vulnerability (CWE-416) in the NVIDIA Display Driver for Linux. The flaw is rooted in improper memory management: the driver accesses memory after it has been freed, creating a window where an attacker with local access can exploit race conditions to manipulate or control the contents of that memory region.
The exploitation process typically involves:
- Forcing the driver to free a memory object while retaining a reference (dangling pointer)
- Triggering a code path that uses the dangling pointer after the memory is freed
- Winning a race condition to allocate attacker-controlled data in the freed memory region
If successful, the attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution in kernel context, escalate privileges, tamper with data, cause denial of service, or leak sensitive information. The vulnerability is present in all versions prior to the fixed releases listed below. No public code snippets or proof of concept are available. Exploitation requires precise timing and understanding of the driver's memory allocation patterns.
Affected Systems and Versions
- NVIDIA Display Driver for Linux, all versions prior to:
- 580.95.05 (R580 branch)
- 570.195.03 (R570 branch)
- 535.274.02 (R535 branch)
All previous versions in these branches are affected. The vulnerability is present regardless of specific Linux distribution or GPU model, as long as the driver version is within the vulnerable range.
Vendor Security History
NVIDIA has a history of memory management vulnerabilities in its driver stack, including previous use after free and race condition issues. The October 2025 security bulletin disclosed multiple high-severity flaws, including CVE-2025-23282 (race condition, Linux), CVE-2025-23309 (uncontrolled DLL loading, Windows), and others. NVIDIA typically issues coordinated bulletins and patches across all supported branches. Their response time is generally prompt, and they have recently expanded security advisory distribution to GitHub in machine-readable formats.
References
- NVD entry for CVE-2025-23280
- NVIDIA Security Bulletin
- CVE.org entry
- SecurityOnline.info: NVIDIA GPU Driver Patches Multiple High Severity Flaws
- GamingOnLinux: NVIDIA Reveal New Driver Security Issues for October 2025
- ZeroPath: Summary of Related NVIDIA Driver Vulnerabilities
- NVIDIA Product Security
- NVIDIA Product Security GitHub