CVE-2025-23282 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-415 (Double Free) found in the NVIDIA Virtual GPU Manager component of the NVIDIA Display Driver for Linux. The vulnerability stems from a race condition that causes the software to free the same memory region twice, leading to undefined behavior that an attacker can exploit to escalate privileges. Specifically, an attacker with low privileges on a system running affected NVIDIA Virtual GPU Manager versions (up to and including 580.82.02 as of August 2025) can trigger this race condition to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability by enabling code execution, data tampering, denial of service, and information disclosure. The attack vector is local (AV:L), requiring the attacker to have some level of access to the system but no user interaction is needed (UI:N). The attack complexity is high (AC:H), indicating exploitation requires precise timing or conditions. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.0, reflecting its high severity. No public exploits are known at this time, but the risk remains significant due to the potential impact on critical systems using GPU virtualization. The NVIDIA Virtual GPU Manager is commonly deployed in environments that use GPU virtualization for cloud computing, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), and high-performance computing, making this vulnerability relevant for organizations leveraging these technologies.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-23282 can be substantial, especially in sectors relying on GPU virtualization such as cloud service providers, research institutions, financial services, and media production companies. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to gain elevated privileges on critical systems, leading to unauthorized code execution, manipulation or theft of sensitive data, disruption of services through denial of service, and exposure of confidential information. This can result in operational downtime, financial losses, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR breaches due to data exposure), and reputational damage. The local attack vector limits remote exploitation but insider threats or compromised accounts could leverage this vulnerability. Given the increasing adoption of NVIDIA Virtual GPU technology in European data centers and enterprises, the vulnerability poses a tangible risk to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical IT infrastructure.

1. Monitor NVIDIA’s official channels closely and apply security patches or updates as soon as they are released to address CVE-2025-23282. 2. Restrict local access to systems running NVIDIA Virtual GPU Manager to trusted personnel only, minimizing the risk of local exploitation. 3. Implement strict access controls and user privilege management to reduce the likelihood of attackers gaining the required low-level access. 4. Employ runtime protection and memory corruption detection tools that can identify and block double free or race condition exploits. 5. Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments on systems using GPU virtualization to detect potential exploitation attempts. 6. Use system and application logging to monitor for unusual behavior indicative of exploitation attempts, such as unexpected process crashes or privilege escalations. 7. Consider network segmentation to isolate critical GPU virtualization infrastructure from less trusted network zones. 8. Educate system administrators and security teams about this vulnerability and the importance of timely patching and monitoring.