Executive brief
Arm's GPU kernel drivers contain a use-after-free vulnerability that allows a local attacker without elevated privileges to access memory after it has been freed. This could enable the attacker to crash the GPU subsystem, leak sensitive data from GPU memory, or potentially execute arbitrary code with GPU-level privileges, disrupting device performance or exposing user data.
Technical details
This is a use-after-free vulnerability in memory management within Arm's GPU kernel drivers (Bifrost, Valhall, and 5th Gen architectures). The vulnerability occurs when a local non-privileged process performs improper GPU memory processing operations, resulting in access to freed memory regions. The attack vector is local with no authentication required. An attacker can exploit this to read/write freed GPU memory, potentially leading to information disclosure, denial of service, or privilege escalation within the GPU execution context. Patches are available for affected driver versions.
Affected products
- Arm Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver r49p3 through r49p5, r51p0, r54p1 through r54p2
- Arm Valhall GPU Kernel Driver r49p3 through r49p5, r51p0 through r54p3, r55p0
- Arm 5th Gen GPU Architecture Kernel Driver r49p3 through r49p5, r51p0 through r54p3, r55p0
Timeline
- 2026-09-08: disclosed