CVE-2025-68233

CVE-2025-68233: The Zombie PID Apocalypse in Tegra Drivers

Amit Schendel
Amit Schendel
Senior Security Researcher

Jan 15, 2026·5 min read·2 visits

Executive Summary (TL;DR)

The Linux kernel's Tegra DRM driver forgot to release references to Process IDs (PIDs) after using them. Local attackers can trigger this repeatedly to exhaust kernel memory, essentially DDoSing the system from the inside.

A deep dive into a resource management failure in the Linux kernel's Tegra DRM driver, where a missing reference release creates a 'slow death' memory leak scenario.

Official Patches

Linux KernelMainline fix commit

Fix Analysis (1)

Technical Appendix

CVSS Score
3.3/ 10
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
EPSS Probability
0.02%
Top 94% most exploited

Affected Systems

Linux Kernel (Tegra DRM Driver)NVIDIA Jetson Series (Nano, TX2, Xavier, Orin)Tegra-based Automotive Systems

Affected Versions Detail

Product
Affected Versions
Fixed Version
Linux Kernel
Linux
>= 6.06.18
AttributeDetail
CVSS3.3 (Low)
Attack VectorLocal (IOCTL)
ImpactDenial of Service (Memory Exhaustion)
Componentdrivers/gpu/drm/tegra
CWECWE-401 (Memory Leak)
Exploit StatusTheoretical / Trivial

MITRE ATT&CK Mapping

T1499Endpoint Denial of Service
Impact
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation
Impact
CWE-401
Memory Leak

Improper Release of Memory Before Removing Last Reference

Vulnerability Timeline

Vulnerability Disclosed & Patched
2025-12-16
Added to NVD
2025-12-18
EPSS Score Updated
2026-01-14