Privilege escalation in ARM Mali GPU kernel drivers

1) Use-after-free

EUVDB-ID: #VU74191

Risk: High

CVSSv4.0: 8.5 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A/U:Amber]

CVE-ID: CVE-2022-38181

CWE-ID: CWE-416 - Use After Free

Exploit availability: Yes

Description

The vulnerability allows a local application to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to a use-after-free error. A local application can trigger memory corruption and execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.

Note, this vulnerability is known to be exploited in targeted attacks spotted in November 2022.

Mitigation

Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Midgard GPU Kernel Driver: All versions

Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver: before r38p2

Valhall GPU Kernel Driver: before r38p2

CPE2.3

• cpe:2.3:h:arm:midgard_gpu_kernel_driver:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:h:arm:bifrost_gpu_kernel_driver:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:h:arm:valhall_gpu_kernel_driver:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

External links

https://developer.arm.com/Arm%20Security%20Center/Mali%20GPU%20Driver%20Vulnerabilities
https://github.blog/2023-01-23-pwning-the-all-google-phone-with-a-non-google-bug/
https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2022-054_Arm_Mali/
https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/spyware-vendors-use-0-days-and-n-days-against-popular-platforms/

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

Yes. This vulnerability is being exploited in the wild.