CriticalCVE-2023-26083

Arm Mali GPU Kernel Driver Information Disclosure Vulnerability (CVE-2023-26083)

Published 06.04.2023In CISA KEV since 07.04.2023Sources: OSV, pwn.watch, CVE.org

What is affected, what to do

Memory leak vulnerability in Mali GPU Kernel Driver in Midgard GPU Kernel Driver all versions from r6p0 - r32p0, Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver all versions from r0p0 - r42p0, Valhall GPU Kernel Driver all versions from r19p0 - r42p0, and Avalon GPU Kernel Driver all versions from r41p0 - r42p0 allows a non-privileged user to make valid GPU processing operations that expose sensitive kernel metadata.

The vulnerability is being actively exploited; treat it as a priority. Update ARM 5th Gen GPU Architecture Kernel Driver to version r43p0, ARM Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver to version r43p0, ARM Valhall GPU Kernel Driver to version r43p0. Immediate actions, mitigation and detection rules are in the runbook below.

Affected: ARM 5th Gen GPU Architecture Kernel Driver lt r41p0..r43p0
ARM Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver lt r0p0..r43p0
Arm Midgard GPU Kernel Driver lte r6p0..r32p0
ARM Valhall GPU Kernel Driver lt r19p0..r43p0
Fixed in: ARM 5th Gen GPU Architecture Kernel Driver r43p0
ARM Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver r43p0
ARM Valhall GPU Kernel Driver r43p0

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Metrics

3.3

Priority

XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.

Source: NVD, CVSS v3

3.3

CVSS v3

Severity Low on the scale from 0 to 10.

Source: OSV, pwn.watch, CVE.org

1.2 %

EPSS score

Moderate — model estimates 1-10% exploitation likelihood.

Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 68.7

Show all metrics

Severity: Critical
Priority (0–325) The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first? Read in glossary: 156.71 Methodology
Exploit maturity An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack. Read in glossary: actively exploited
XIEM Effective CVSS XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command. Read in glossary: 3.3 Methodology
CVSS v3 CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions. Read in glossary: 3.3
EPSS score The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“. Read in glossary: 1.2 %; Moderate — model estimates 1-10% exploitation likelihood.
EPSS percentile The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking. Read in glossary: 68.7; High — this CVE ranks above the median of all CVEs scored today (rank ≥ 36%).
KEV status The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching. Read in glossary: Actively exploited
Published: 06.04.2023
In CISA KEV since The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching. Read in glossary: 07.04.2023
CISA assessment (SSVC): Exploitation: active · not automatable · Technical impact: partial; Source: CISA Vulnrichment, as of 19 January 2024
CWE CWE is a catalogue of typical weakness types in software and hardware — such as flawed input validation, unsafe memory handling or poor authentication. Where a CVE names a concrete vulnerability in a concrete product, a CWE describes the underlying class of defect. Read in glossary: CWE-401

Response and mitigation

Why act now?

Prioritisation rationale

On its own this is a low-impact bug: it is local-only, needs only low privileges, and leaks kernel metadata without touching integrity or availability. It is on KEV because it has been used as a component of Android exploit chains. In those chains the leak supplies the kernel addresses needed for a follow-on privilege escalation, typically after an initial browser or app compromise. CISA records no ransomware use and exploitation likelihood is moderate, so the realistic threat is targeted surveillance of specific individuals rather than mass campaigns. Score it high for mobile devices of executives and privileged admins and for embedded systems with no update path, and medium otherwise as part of routine patch-compliance enforcement.

01
Runbook step 1
Immediate response (0-24 h)
- Check your Android fleet's patch level in MDM/UEM: Every device with an Arm Mali GPU (many Samsung Exynos, Google Tensor and MediaTek-based models) must be on Android security patch level 2023-07-05 or later. Query ro.build.version.security_patch and flag laggards as non-compliant.
- Cut unpatched devices off from corporate resources: Use Conditional Access, such as an Intune compliance policy with "Minimum security patch level" or Workspace ONE, to block mail, VPN and collaboration access until the OEM update is installed.
- Fast-track high-risk users: Prioritise executives, admins, staff with access to OT/KRITIS control rooms, and travellers. If the OEM no longer ships updates for a device, replace it.
- Inventory embedded, Linux and ChromeOS systems running the Mali driver: Affected versions are Midgard r6p0–r32p0, Bifrost r0p0–r42p0, Valhall r19p0–r42p0 and Avalon/5th Gen r41p0–r42p0. The fix ships in driver r43p0 for Bifrost, Valhall and 5th Gen. No fixed version is listed for Midgard — patch may be available from the vendor, look up the version in the Arm or SoC vendor advisory. Otherwise treat these devices as permanently vulnerable.
- Chase your BSP and firmware suppliers: For HMI panels, thin clients and rugged tablets with Mali GPUs, ask the integrator for the shipped mali_kbase version and a roadmap to r43p0 or newer.
02
Runbook step 2
Mitigation layers
- Mobile endpoint hardening: Disable sideloading and "unknown sources" via MDM and enforce Play Protect. Exploitation requires local code execution, so controlling what gets installed is the strongest compensating control.
- Work profile and containerisation: Keep corporate data inside the Android Work Profile or a Knox container. This does not neutralise a kernel compromise, but it shrinks the attack surface from personal apps.
- Mobile Threat Defense (MTD): Deploy Defender for Endpoint (Android), Lookout, Zimperium or similar to detect root, exploit and integrity anomalies, and feed their verdicts into Conditional Access.
- Device-node access control on Linux: Restrict /dev/mali0 with a udev rule to a dedicated group (e.g. video or render). Service accounts and containers get no GPU access, so no --device /dev/mali0.
- SELinux/AppArmor: On embedded Linux, allow the GPU device only for the compositor or HMI application. All other domains get deny-with-audit.
- Network layer: Move unpatched Mali-based embedded devices into an isolated VLAN with no internet egress. This makes it harder to stage follow-on payloads and to exfiltrate data.
03
Runbook step 3
Detection rules
- MDM/UEM compliance: Run a daily report. Example KQL against Intune data: IntuneDevices | where OS == "Android" and todatetime(SecurityPatchLevel) < datetime(2023-07-05). Auto-ticket every new hit.
- MTD/EDR alerts: Treat "privilege escalation", "kernel exploit", "device rooted" or "SELinux disabled" verdicts on Mali devices as high severity. This bug is typically the info-leak stage, used for example to bypass KASLR, right before a privilege escalation.
- Linux auditd: Log device access with -w /dev/mali0 -p rw -k mali_gpu. Alert when exe is outside an allowlist, for example shells, /tmp/*, interpreters or container processes. Sigma shape: logsource: linux/auditd, selection: key=mali_gpu, filter: exe in allowlist.
- Process ancestry on Linux/ChromeOS: Watch for chains like browser or renderer → shell → freshly written binary opening the GPU device → process running as uid=0. In auditd, hunt for syscall=execve with auid!=0 and euid=0 outside sudo/su.
- Network telemetry (Zeek/Suricata): On Wi-Fi and VPN segments, flag mobile devices pulling APK or ELF payloads from outside Google Play and OEM update infrastructure, e.g. files.log mime_type == "application/vnd.android.package-archive". Also flag connections to newly registered domains.

Detection rules

No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.

Classification under NIS2 and CRA

Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.

NIS2 NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management. Read in glossary: Actively exploited: treat the vulnerability as a priority in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2. If it is exploited in your environment, check the reporting obligation under Art. 23 (early warning within 24 hours).
CRA The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates. Read in glossary: Since 11.09.2026, manufacturers of affected products with digital elements must report actively exploited vulnerabilities under Art. 14 CRA, with an early warning within 24 hours via ENISA's single reporting platform.
ISO/IEC 27001 ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security. Read in glossary: Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.

Description

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities), pwn.watch, NVD (NIST), cvelistv5, CISA KEV Catalog, CVE.org (MITRE)

Affected products

The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.

Affected products
		Affected versions	Fixed in
arm	5th_gen_gpu_architecture_kernel_driver	`r41p0 – < r43p0`	`r43p0`
arm	bifrost_gpu_kernel_driver	`r0p0 – < r43p0`	`r43p0`
arm	midgard_gpu_kernel_driver	`r6p0 – ≤ r32p0`	—
arm	valhall_gpu_kernel_driver	`r19p0 – < r43p0`	`r43p0`
android	:unknown:	`SoCVersion` `SoCVersion:0`	— `SoCVersion:2023-07-05`

Vendors and products

Weakness classes (CWE)

CWE-401Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
Variant
The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, making the memory unavailable for reallocation and reuse.
Entry at MITRE CWE-401

Public exploit references

Publicly reported proof-of-concepts, exploit modules and detection templates for this vulnerability. NEOSEC links to the original sources only and does not provide any exploit code.

Public exploit references

CISA KEV Catalog	CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability (opens in a new tab)cisa.gov	actively exploited	07.04.2023
PoC-in-GitHub (nomi-sec)	CVE-2023-26083-Mali-InfoLeak-PoC (opens in a new tab)github.com	PoC (publicly reported)reported, not verified	28.05.2026

References & sources

source.android.comsecurity/bulletin/2023-07-01advisory
developer.arm.comVendor advisory: Arm Mali Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)Vendor advisory, pwn-watch
cybersecurity-help.czvdb/SB2023033049Third-party advisory
cybersecurity-help.czvulnerabilities/74210Third-party advisory
cisa.govknown-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-26083government-resource, US government resource
pwn.watchpwn.watch: Arm Mali Graphics Processing Unit (GPU): Kernel Driver Information Disclosure (CVE-2023-26083)pwn-watch
NVD (NIST)NVD: CVE-2023-26083pwn-watch
cisa.govCISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalogpwn-watch

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<a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2023-26083"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2023-26083.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2023-26083 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>

What is affected, what to do

Metrics

Response and mitigation

Prioritisation rationale

Immediate response (0-24 h)

Mitigation layers

Detection rules

Detection rules

Classification under NIS2 and CRA

Description

Affected products

Vendors and products

Weakness classes (CWE)

Public exploit references

References & sources