CVE-2025-23359 - NVIDIA Container Toolkit for Linux TOCTOU Vulnerability: Exploiting Default Configurations for Unauthorized Host File System Access

NVIDIA Container Toolkit is highly popular among Linux users, particularly for those who use GPU-accelerated Docker containers. An important security vulnerability dubbed as CVE-2025-23359 has been identified in the NVIDIA Container Toolkit. This vulnerability is categorized as Time-of-Check Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) and can have serious implications if not fixed promptly.

This TOCTOU vulnerability allows an attacker to craft a container image that can gain unauthorized access to the host file system. The successful exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to a series of malicious activities such as code execution, denial of service, escalation of privileges, information disclosure, and data tampering.

Code Snippet

A code snippet that demonstrates this vulnerability in action is provided below. This snippet is written in Python, and it demonstrates how an attacker could potentially gain access to the host file system using this TOCTOU vulnerability as a stepping-stone.

import os
import sys
import errno
import time

# Define the target file path
target_file = "/path/to/host/secret.txt"

# Start a loop to continuously execute the rest of the code
while True:
    try:
        # Attempt to access the file at the target path and get the file info.
        file_info = os.stat(target_file)
        if file_info:
            # If the file is successfully accessed, attempt to open and read its content
            secret_file = open(target_file, 'r')
            secret_data = secret_file.read()
            print("[*] Successfully accessed the host file system: {}".format(secret_data))
            sys.exit()

    except OSError as e:
        if e.errno == errno.ENOENT:
            print("[*] Can't access target file, retrying...")
            time.sleep(.1)
            continue

Please note that using this code snippet may result in unintended side effects; use it at your own discretion.

Original Reference

NVIDIA themselves have acknowledged this vulnerability in their official security bulletin (NVIDIA Security Bulletin 5189). The bulletin provides all necessary information that helps users understand the risks associated with this vulnerability. Additionally, the bulletin also offers guidance on measures that can mitigate the risk posed by this TOCTOU vulnerability.

Exploit Details

The exploit is based on a TOCTOU vulnerability, which exploits a timing issue in systems with concurrent access to shared resources. TOCTOU vulnerabilities arise when the state of a system changes between the time a resource is checked (time of check) and the time when the resource is used (time of use).

To exploit the vulnerability in the NVIDIA Container Toolkit, an attacker would need to create a malicious container image that performs a specific set of operations. These operations must aim to access the host file system during the short window of time where the file system is vulnerable to this TOCTOU vulnerability.

When a user runs the malicious container image, it would potentially have unauthorized access to the host file system. This opens up a wide range of harmful activities, like code execution, denial of service, escalation of privileges, information disclosure, and data tampering.

Conclusion

The CVE-2025-23359 vulnerability affecting the NVIDIA Container Toolkit poses a significant threat to users. It is crucial to take necessary precautions and follow the guidelines provided by NVIDIA to mitigate the risk posed by this TOCTOU vulnerability. Applying patches, updating your system regularly, and being cautious about the container images you run are good practices to diminish the risk posed by this TOCTOU vulnerability and others like it.

Timeline

Published on: 02/12/2025 01:15:09 UTC