# CVE-2026-45196: Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK privilege escalation in GPU Firmware

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-45196-imagination-technologies-graphics-ddk-privilege-escalation-in-gpu  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-07-10. Updated: 2026-07-10  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-45196 · Severity: info · CVSS 0 · Published 2026-07-10

A vulnerability in the Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK allows software running within a virtual machine to send unauthorized commands to the GPU firmware. This could allow a malicious user or compromised guest system to gain elevated privileges on the host device. Such an exploit could compromise the security of the entire platform, potentially leading to unauthorized data access or full system control.

Technologies: [Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/graphics-ddk). Vendors: [Imagination Technologies](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/imagination-technologies).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-45196 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-45196 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-45196?** Informational severity, with a CVSS score of 0, published 10 July 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK 1.18 RTM2, 23.2 RTM2, 24.2 RTM2, 25.1 RTM2 to 25.3 RTM, 26.1 RTM1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-45196?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-45196 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-45196?** Check whether you run Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

An improper handling of permissions (CWE-280) in the Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK allows kernel-mode software within a guest virtual machine to issue malicious commands to the GPU firmware. These commands can trigger unauthorized GPU register access. An attacker with kernel-level access inside a VM can leverage this to achieve privilege escalation on the host system. The vulnerability affects various versions of the Graphics DDK on Linux and Android platforms, specifically up to version 26.1 RTM1. A fix is available in version 26.1 RTM2.

## Affected products

- Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK 1.18 RTM2, 23.2 RTM2, 24.2 RTM2, 25.1 RTM2 to 25.3 RTM, 26.1 RTM1

## Timeline

- 2026-07-10: disclosed
- 2026-07-10: advisory

## References

- [https://www.imaginationtech.com/gpu-driver-vulnerabilities/](https://www.imaginationtech.com/gpu-driver-vulnerabilities/)

## Related threats

- [Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK integer overflow in PMR offset calculation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-16280-imagination-technologies-graphics-ddk-integer-overflow-in-pmr)
- [Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK out-of-bounds write in GPU Firmware](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-49745-imagination-technologies-graphics-ddk-out-of-bounds-write-in-gpu)
- [Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK out-of-bounds write in GPU Firmware](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-49744-imagination-technologies-graphics-ddk-out-of-bounds-write-in-gpu)
- [Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK use after free in kernel synchronization](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-49743-imagination-technologies-graphics-ddk-use-after-free-in-kernel)
- [Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK use-after-free in MMU mapping](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-7639-imagination-technologies-graphics-ddk-use-after-free-in-mmu)