Semiconductor giants Nvidia and Arm warn of new flaws in their graphics processors

CVE-2023-4211 is a use-after-free (CWE-416) in Arm's Mali GPU kernel drivers, covering the Midgard, Bifrost, Valhall and 5th Gen GPU Architecture product lines. A local, non-privileged attacker triggers the flaw by issuing improper GPU memory processing operations, causing the driver to access memory that has already been freed. Successful exploitation exposes already-freed kernel memory to the attacker (high confidentiality impact per the CVSS score), which on mobile devices can be chained into broader local information-gathering or privilege attacks. Any system running the affected Mali kernel drivers is exposed — in practice this is overwhelmingly Android smartphones, tablets and embedded devices whose SoCs integrate Mali GPUs. The vulnerability was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2023-10-03, indicating confirmed in-the-wild exploitation; Arm has issued updated drivers, but patch availability varies by device vendor.

Do: Determine whether devices in your fleet use Mali GPUs and obtain updated Mali GPU kernel drivers from Arm via your device vendor's security updates (OEM/Android updates issued from October 2023 onward), since Arm fixes are distributed through device vendors rather than a standalone Arm patch channel. Until devices are patched, limit local, unprivileged access on affected systems to trusted users and monitor vendor bulletins for availability. Per the CISA KEV required action, apply vendor mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

CVE-2024-4610 is a use-after-free (CWE-416) in Arm's Bifrost and Valhall Mali GPU kernel drivers, affecting driver builds from r34p0 through r40p0. A local, non-privileged user can trigger improper GPU memory processing operations that cause the driver to access already-freed memory. A successful exploit can yield high-impact outcomes — confidentiality, integrity and availability are all rated high, implying kernel-level information disclosure or code execution in the context of the GPU driver — and it could also be chained with other bugs in remote exploitation chains. Any device shipping a Mali Bifrost/Valhall driver in the affected range is exposed, including Android smartphones and other SoC-based products from vendors that integrate Mali GPUs. The flaw is being actively exploited in the wild: Arm warned of in-the-wild zero-day use, CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2024-06-12, and related reporting ties it to spyware-grade exploitation (Intellexa/Predator and a Google warning about a Pixel firmware zero-day).

Do: Update to a fixed Arm Mali Bifrost/Valhall GPU kernel driver release newer than r40p0, which for most users means applying the latest Android/SoC/device vendor firmware updates (e.g., Google's updated Pixel firmware). Organizations managing fleets should inventory devices built on affected Mali driver versions (Pixel, MediaTek Dimensity, Exynos handsets; Rockchip/Amlogic boards) and prioritize them for patching given confirmed in-the-wild exploitation. Federal agencies must apply vendor mitigations per CISA KEV requirements within the mandated deadline, and defenders should treat local or chained remote exploitation paths as realistic, consistent with the spyware-usage reporting.