CVE-2022-38181

Arm Mali GPU Kernel Driver Use-After-Free

8.8 HIGHActively exploited (CISA KEV)Public exploitEPSS 14.1%

Published25 Oct 2022
Added to CISA KEV30 Mar 2023
Remediation due20 Apr 2023

Description

The Arm Mali GPU kernel driver allows unprivileged users to access freed memory because GPU memory operations are mishandled. This affects Bifrost r0p0 through r38p1, and r39p0; Valhall r19p0 through r38p1, and r39p0; and Midgard r4p0 through r32p0.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorNetwork

Attack complexityLow

Privileges requiredLow

User interactionNone

ScopeUnchanged

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected products

Arm Bifrost Gpu Kernel Driver≥ r0p0 ≤ r38p1 · r39p0

Arm Midgard Gpu Kernel Driver≥ r4p0 ≤ r31p0

Arm Valhall Gpu Kernel Driver≥ r19p0 ≤ r38p1 · r39p0

Remediation

No fixed version is recorded in the NVD data. Check the vendor advisory for the latest guidance.

Patch & vendor advisories

References

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172854/Android-Arm-Mali-GPU-Arbitrary-Code-Execution.htmlThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
https://developer.arm.com/Arm%20Security%20Center/Mali%20GPU%20Driver%20VulnerabilitiesVendor Advisory
https://developer.arm.com/support/arm-security-updatesVendor Advisory
https://github.blog/2023-01-23-pwning-the-all-google-phone-with-a-non-google-bug/ExploitThird Party Advisory
https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2022-054_Arm_Mali/ExploitThird Party Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2022-38181US Government Resource

Related CVEs

Recent high-severity vulnerabilities sharing a weakness type.

Frequently asked

Is CVE-2022-38181 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2022-38181 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added 30 Mar 2023.

How severe is CVE-2022-38181?

CVE-2022-38181 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8, rated high. EPSS estimates a 14.1% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2022-38181?

Affected products include Arm Bifrost Gpu Kernel Driver, Arm Midgard Gpu Kernel Driver, Arm Valhall Gpu Kernel Driver.

How do I fix CVE-2022-38181?

Apply the vendor's patch or advisory guidance, then verify no affected versions remain across your devices.

How Secuno handles this

Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2022-38181 against the real software inventory on every managed device, as each hourly inventory arrives. Rather than a static severity, each match is scored in context: exploit availability, EPSS, the asset's exposure, and business criticality decide where it lands in the queue. Because it is on the CISA KEV list, a risk for it never ranks below high, and the update that fixes it moves to the Emergency patch lane. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.

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Data from the NVD, CISA KEV catalog and FIRST EPSS. CVSS 3.1 base score shown where available.