CVE-2025-37765 is a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) subsystem, specifically within the nouveau driver which handles NVIDIA GPUs. The flaw arises from improper handling of memory references during buffer object deletion in the ttm_bo_delayed_delete function. The root cause is a use-after-free condition triggered by a dangling pointer dereference. When drm_prime_gem_destroy releases a dma_buf reference, it can lead to the destruction of an amdgpu_bo object and its associated reservation object. However, the nouveau driver retains a pointer to this now-freed memory. Subsequently, when nouveau_gem_object_del calls ttm_bo_put, it schedules ttm_bo_delayed_delete, which dereferences this dangling pointer, causing a general protection fault (kernel oops). This results in a kernel crash due to accessing invalid memory addresses. The fix involves reordering the call to drm_prime_gem_destroy, moving it from nouveau_gem_object_del to nouveau_bo_del_ttm, ensuring the destruction occurs after ttm_bo_delayed_delete has completed, thus preventing the use-after-free scenario. This vulnerability affects Linux kernel versions identified by the commit hash 22b33e8ed0e38b8ddcf082e35580f2e67a3a0262 and likely related versions around the 6.14.0-rc4 release cycle. The issue is technical and specific to the interaction between the nouveau and amdgpu drivers in the DRM subsystem, impacting systems using these open-source GPU drivers.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to systems running Linux kernels with the affected nouveau and amdgpu drivers, commonly found in workstations, servers, and embedded devices utilizing NVIDIA and AMD GPUs respectively. Exploitation leads to kernel crashes (general protection faults), resulting in denial of service (DoS) conditions. This can disrupt critical services, especially in environments relying on GPU acceleration for compute tasks, graphics rendering, or virtualization. While the vulnerability does not appear to allow privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution directly, repeated crashes could degrade system availability and reliability. Organizations in sectors such as finance, manufacturing, research, and public services that depend on Linux-based infrastructure with GPU hardware are at risk. The vulnerability could also be leveraged as part of a multi-stage attack to cause instability or to distract from other malicious activities. Given the kernel-level nature, recovery from crashes may require reboots, impacting operational continuity. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently limits immediate risk, but the technical details are public, enabling potential future exploitation.

European organizations should prioritize updating their Linux kernels to versions where this vulnerability is patched, specifically incorporating the fix that reorders drm_prime_gem_destroy calls within the nouveau driver. Kernel updates from trusted Linux distributions (e.g., Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat, SUSE) should be applied promptly. For environments where immediate patching is not feasible, consider disabling or limiting the use of affected GPU drivers (nouveau and amdgpu) if GPU functionality is not critical. Implement kernel crash monitoring and automated recovery mechanisms to reduce downtime impact. Additionally, conduct thorough testing of GPU driver updates in staging environments to ensure stability before production deployment. Organizations should also audit systems to identify Linux hosts using the affected kernel versions and GPU drivers. Employing kernel lockdown features and restricting unprivileged user access to GPU device files can reduce the risk of exploitation. Finally, maintain vigilance for any emerging exploit reports or patches related to this CVE and integrate them into security operations promptly.