CVE-2025-38187
📋 TL;DR
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Nouveau GPU driver allows attackers to potentially crash the system or execute arbitrary code. This affects Linux systems using the open-source Nouveau driver for NVIDIA GPUs. The vulnerability occurs when handling large RPC communications in the GSP subsystem.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with Nouveau driver
📦 What is this software?
Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Local privilege escalation to kernel-level code execution, potentially leading to full system compromise.
Likely Case
Kernel panic or system crash causing denial of service.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if system has proper access controls and users cannot load malicious GPU operations.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access and ability to trigger specific GPU operations through the Nouveau driver.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions containing commits 9802f0a63b641f4cddb2139c814c2e95cb825099 or cd4677407c0ee250fc21e36439c8a442ddd62cc1
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9802f0a63b641f4cddb2139c814c2e95cb825099
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution's repositories. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify Nouveau driver is using patched kernel code.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Nouveau driver
linuxPrevent loading of the vulnerable Nouveau driver module
echo 'blacklist nouveau' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nouveau.conf
update-initramfs -u
reboot
Use proprietary NVIDIA driver
linuxSwitch to NVIDIA's proprietary driver instead of Nouveau
apt-get install nvidia-driver-XXX # for Debian/Ubuntu
dnf install akmod-nvidia # for Fedora/RHEL
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict local user access to systems with vulnerable kernels
- Implement strict SELinux/AppArmor policies to limit GPU driver access
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if Nouveau driver is loaded: 'lsmod | grep nouveau' and 'uname -r'Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version is updated and Nouveau module loads without errors in dmesg📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel oops messages in /var/log/kern.log
- GPU driver crash messages
- System crash/panic logs
Network Indicators:
- None - local exploit only
SIEM Query:
source="kern.log" AND ("nouveau" OR "use-after-free" OR "general protection fault")