CVE-2025-23261
📋 TL;DR
NVIDIA Cumulus Linux and NVOS products log hashed user passwords in log files, potentially exposing credential information to unauthorized users who can access these logs. This affects administrators and users of these networking products who rely on password-based authentication. The vulnerability could allow attackers to obtain password hashes for offline cracking attempts.
💻 Affected Systems
- NVIDIA Cumulus Linux
- NVIDIA NVOS
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers gain access to password hashes, crack them offline, and use the credentials to gain unauthorized administrative access to networking devices, potentially compromising entire network infrastructure.
Likely Case
Authorized users with log access can view password hashes, potentially enabling privilege escalation or lateral movement if weak passwords are used.
If Mitigated
With proper log access controls and strong passwords, the risk is limited to information disclosure without direct system compromise.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires access to log files, which typically requires some level of system access. Attackers would need to extract and crack password hashes.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Cumulus Linux 5.10.1 and later, NVOS 10.5.1 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5655
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Check current version using 'net show version'. 2. Upgrade to Cumulus Linux 5.10.1+ or NVOS 10.5.1+ using standard upgrade procedures. 3. Verify password hashes are no longer logged in authentication logs.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Log File Access
allLimit access to log files containing authentication data to authorized administrators only
chmod 600 /var/log/auth.log
chown root:root /var/log/auth.log
Implement Centralized Logging with Access Controls
allForward logs to a secure centralized logging server with strict access controls
Configure rsyslog/syslog-ng to forward logs to secure server
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls on log directories and files
- Use strong, complex passwords that are resistant to offline cracking attempts
- Monitor log access and authentication attempts for suspicious activity
- Consider using key-based authentication instead of password authentication where possible
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check authentication logs for password hash entries: grep -i 'password' /var/log/auth.log | grep -i 'hash'Check Version:
net show versionVerify Fix Applied:
After patching, verify password hashes are no longer visible in logs: grep -i 'password' /var/log/auth.log | grep -i 'hash' should return no results📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Password hash strings in authentication logs
- Unauthorized access attempts to log files
- Multiple failed authentication attempts followed by successful login
Network Indicators:
- Unusual log file access patterns
- Suspicious authentication attempts from unexpected sources
SIEM Query:
source="*auth.log" AND "password" AND "hash"