The Arm Mali GPU kernel driver allows unprivileged users to access freed memory because GPU memory operations are mishandled.
Affects the Arm Mali GPU kernel driver on Midgard, Bifrost, and Valhall GPUs. The public patch is in driver version r40p0.
- Published
- Last modified
- Where the record stands: published, rejected by its publisher, or superseded by another id.What do these mean? →
- published
- Whether CISA lists it in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog: proof that attackers are using it.What do these mean? →
- Listed in CISA KEV
- How many real-world setups can hit the bug, from the vendor's advisory and CISA data. It does not know your setup.What do these mean? →
- Actively exploited
- Fix
- Fixed in r40p0
- Whether working attack code is public (Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei or GitHub). Public code makes attacks easier.What do these mean? →
- None on Exploit-DB, Metasploit or GitHub
Summary
The Arm Mali GPU kernel driver, which runs on devices using Arm Mali graphics processors, is affected. An unprivileged local user could access memory that has already been freed, potentially reading sensitive data or gaining higher privileges on the system.
Summarized by anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5. Verify details against the original sources.
Read the original description
The Arm Mali GPU kernel driver allows unprivileged users to access freed memory because GPU memory operations are mishandled. This affects Bifrost r0p0 through r38p1, and r39p0; Valhall r19p0 through r38p1, and r39p0; and Midgard r4p0 through r32p0.
Timeline
- CVE published
- Added to CISA KEV
CISA has evidence of exploitation in the wild
- CISA remediation deadline
Due date for US federal agencies to patch
- Record last updated
- EPSS reached 10%
FIRST estimates at least a 10% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Affected versions
- n/a n/a
Version range not reported
References 5
securitylab.github.com
packetstormsecurity.com
Questions about CVE-2022-38181
What does this mean?
The Arm Mali GPU kernel driver mishandles GPU memory operations, which lets an unprivileged user access memory that has already been freed. The source says this can lead to arbitrary kernel code execution and root privileges on a Pixel 6 from an Android app.Source: github.blog
Am I affected, and how do I check?
The sources name the Arm Mali GPU kernel driver on Midgard, Bifrost, and Valhall GPUs. They do not list specific affected version ranges, so the driver version is the thing to check against the fixed release r40p0.Source: github.blog
What should I do about it?
Update the Arm Mali GPU kernel driver to r40p0 or later, the version that contains the public patch released on 2022-10-07.Source: github.blog
Is it being exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2023-03-30, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked.Source: cisa.gov, cve.now feed data