External risk intelligence

Arm Mali GPU Driver: Local Privilege Escalation Risk

CVE advisoryKnown Exploit

CVE-2021-28664

A vulnerability in Arm Mali GPU kernel drivers allows unauthorized memory access, potentially leading to privilege escalation or memory corruption. This impacts organizations by risking data integrity, system stability, and unauthorized information access. The realistic business risk involves unauthorized system contro

1Halo Surface Signal

Out-of-bounds Write

Arm Bifrost Gpu Kernel Driver

r0p0 to before r29p0r8p0 to before r31p0r19p0 to before r29p0

External exposure likelihood

Halo Surface Signal score for CVE-2021-28664

The vulnerability resides in the GPU kernel driver, which is a local, low-level component of an operating system or device firmware. It requires an already authenticated local user or a malicious application running on the local device to interact with the hardware driver. It is not a network-accessible service, gateway, or internet-facing endpoint.

Horizon Alert

Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters

The Arm Mali GPU kernel driver has a vulnerability that allows unauthorized memory access. This flaw can lead to privilege escalation or denial of service by corrupting memory. The impact on organizations could include unauthorized data modification, system instability, and potential compromise of sensitive information.

  • Vulnerable Arm GPU kernel drivers
  • Unprivileged memory read/write access
  • Privilege escalation or memory corruption

Attack Path

How an attacker could exploit the issue

This vulnerability allows an unprivileged user to gain unauthorized read and write access to memory that should be protected. Such access can lead to privilege escalation, allowing the attacker to gain higher system permissions. It can also result in memory corruption, potentially affecting the stability and integrity of the system and other applications.

  • Attacker gains local access.
  • Attacker triggers memory access.
  • Attacker achieves privilege escalation.

Live Threat

Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context

This vulnerability in the Arm Mali GPU kernel driver could allow an unprivileged user to gain unauthorized read and write access to memory. This could lead to privilege escalation, where a user gains higher access levels than intended, or a denial of service by corrupting memory. The impact on affected organizations includes potential data breaches, system instability, and compromise of sensitive information.

  • Likely attacker skill: Low
  • Required access: Local or unprivileged user
  • Business risk: High

Priority actions

Operational Fix

Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps

This vulnerability in the Arm Mali GPU kernel driver can allow an unprivileged user to gain unauthorized read/write access to memory. This could lead to privilege escalation or memory corruption, impacting system stability and data integrity. Organizations should prioritize addressing this risk to protect against potential system compromise and data breaches.

  • Identify systems using affected Arm Mali GPU kernel drivers.
  • Restrict access to systems with vulnerable drivers.
  • Apply vendor updates, verify the fix, and monitor for anomalies.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Arm Mali GPU kernel driver and its function?

The Arm Mali GPU kernel driver is a critical software component managing the graphics processing unit (GPU) in devices featuring Arm's Mali graphics technology. It facilitates graphical rendering, essential for smooth visuals in applications and efficient display output across various devices.

What weakness does CVE-2021-28664 describe?

CVE-2021-28664 details a weakness identified as CWE-787, concerning out-of-bounds writes. This vulnerability enables an unprivileged user to achieve read and write access to memory regions designated as read-only, potentially leading to unauthorized privilege escalation.

How can an attacker exploit the Arm Mali GPU kernel driver vulnerability?

An unprivileged user can exploit this vulnerability by triggering an out-of-bounds write, gaining unauthorized read and write access to read-only memory pages. This can result in privilege escalation or memory corruption, affecting system stability and data integrity.

What is the relevance of CVE-2021-28664 for organizations, as per Halo Surface Signal?

Halo classifies this CVE as 'Very unlikely' to be exploited due to its local, low-level nature requiring authenticated local user interaction with the hardware driver, rather than a network-accessible service.

What steps should organizations take to respond to this vulnerability?

Organizations should identify systems using affected Arm Mali GPU kernel drivers, restrict access to vulnerable systems, and apply vendor-provided updates. Verification of the fix and continuous monitoring for unusual activity are also crucial operational steps.

References