CriticalCVE-2024-4610

    Mali GPU Kernel Driver allows improper GPU memory processing operations (CVE-2024-4610)

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

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    What is affected, what to do

    Use After Free vulnerability in Arm Ltd Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver, Arm Ltd Valhall GPU Kernel Driver allows a local non-privileged user to make improper GPU memory processing operations to gain access to already freed memory.This issue affects Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver: from r34p0 through r40p0; Valhall GPU Kernel Driver: from r34p0 through r40p0.

    The vulnerability is being actively exploited; treat it as a priority. Update bifrost_gpu_kernel_driver to version r41p0, valhall_gpu_kernel_driver to version r41p0, :unknown: to version SoCVersion:2024-07-05. Immediate actions, mitigation and detection rules are in the runbook below.

    Affected
    • Arm Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver gte r34p0..*
    • Arm Valhall GPU Kernel Driver gte r34p0..*

    Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability

    Metrics

    7.8

    Priority

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

    Source: NVD, CVSS v3

    7.8

    CVSS v3

    Severity High on the scale from 0 to 10.

    Source: OSV, pwn.watch, CVE.org

    0.8 %

    EPSS score

    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.

    Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 55.7

    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
    169.02 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 exploitedSource: VulnCheck KEV (opens in a new tab) How we classify
    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
    7.8 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
    7.8
    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“.

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    0.8 %
    Low — model estimates < 1% 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.

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    55.7
    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
    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
    CISA assessment (SSVC)
    Exploitation: active · not automatable · Technical impact: total
    Source: CISA Vulnrichment, as of 13 June 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-416

    Response and mitigation

    Why act now?

    Prioritisation rationale

    CISA lists this CVE on KEV because use-after-free bugs in the Mali kernel driver are repeatedly used as the second stage in targeted Android exploit chains. Once an attacker has initial code execution, via a browser exploit or a malicious app, the bug yields full kernel compromise without any user interaction. It requires local, low-privilege access but has high impact on confidentiality, integrity and availability. Statistical exploitation likelihood is moderate and there is no known ransomware use, which points to targeted operations against high-value individuals rather than mass exploitation. Organisations with Android fleets, BYOD or mobile access to sensitive systems should treat this as high priority, starting with executive and admin devices; server-only estates without Mali hardware have little exposure.

    1. Runbook step 1

      Immediate response (0-24 h)

      • Reconcile the mobile inventory: Query your MDM/UEM (Intune, Workspace ONE, MobileIron, etc.) for Android devices with an Arm Mali GPU (Bifrost/Valhall) and a security patch level older than 2024-07-05. Prioritise executives, administrators and staff with access to critical-infrastructure control systems.
      • Enforce the patch: On Android, require security patch level 2024-07-05 or later via MDM. On embedded Linux, Chromebooks, thin clients, infotainment or HMI systems with Mali GPUs, update the kernel driver to r41p0 or later (affected: Bifrost and Valhall r34p0 through r40p0). The driver usually ships through the SoC or device vendor; look up the exact firmware version in the vendor advisory.
      • Quarantine unpatchable devices: Flag devices with no vendor support (EOL, no 2024-07 update available) as non-compliant in Conditional Access. Block them from mail, VPN, SSO and internal apps until they are replaced.
      • Preserve suspicious devices: If you see signs of compromise (unexplained root indicators, MTD alerts, unknown apps), do not factory-reset the device. Put it in airplane mode, capture evidence (bugreport, MVT analysis), then revoke the user's sessions, OAuth tokens, MFA registrations and VPN certificates.
      • Check Linux hosts running the Mali driver: Use dmesg | grep -i mali or modinfo mali_kbase to identify the loaded driver version, and add any host on r34p0–r40p0 to the patch queue.

    2. Runbook step 2

      Mitigation layers

      • IAM / access control: Make patch level 2024-07-05 a compliance criterion in your Conditional Access policy so non-compliant devices receive no token for corporate resources. Allow privileged accounts (tenant admin, OT remote access) to sign in only from compliant, managed devices.
      • Endpoint hardening (Android): Disable sideloading via MDM, enforce Google Play Protect, and restrict app installs to Managed Google Play or an allowlist. Exploitation requires code execution as a local unprivileged user, typically delivered by a malicious app or a preceding browser exploit.
      • Shrink the browser attack surface: Keep Chrome/WebView current on unpatched devices. Where feasible, filter risky web content through Mobile Threat Defense or a secure web gateway to disrupt the remote first stage of the chain.
      • Embedded Linux hardening: Restrict /dev/mali0 to a dedicated group with a udev rule (e.g. KERNEL=="mali0", GROUP="gpu", MODE="0660") so only services that genuinely need the GPU can open it. Review SELinux/AppArmor policies for GPU access, and on headless systems avoid loading mali_kbase at all.
      • Network segmentation: Move HMI, kiosk or infotainment systems with Mali GPUs that cannot be updated onto isolated VLANs. Limit their egress to required destinations so a local privilege escalation cannot become a lateral-movement foothold.

    3. Runbook step 3

      Detection rules

      • MTD/MDM telemetry: Escalate "device rooted", "integrity check failed" (Play Integrity) or "SELinux permissive" alerts on previously clean devices with a patch level before 2024-07-05. Example KQL (Intune): IntuneDeviceComplianceOrg | where OS == "Android" | where ComplianceState != "Compliant", then join the results with patch level.
      • Kernel logs (Linux/Android logcat -b kernel): Watch for mali, kbase, KASAN: use-after-free, BUG: unable to handle, Kernel panic or unexpected GPU resets. Repeated crashes in the Mali driver are a classic signature of failed exploitation attempts.
      • auditd (embedded Linux): -w /dev/mali0 -p rw -k mali_access. Alert when processes outside the expected GPU consumers (compositor, graphics service) open the device. Sigma shape: logsource: linux/auditd, key: mali_access, exe not in the allowlist.
      • Privilege escalation: Flag processes whose UID jumps from an app or user UID to 0 (auditd setuid anomalies, EDR "privilege escalation" events). Also flag shells (sh, toybox) spawned with root privileges as children of an app or browser renderer.
      • Forensic sweep: Scan suspicious devices with the Mobile Verification Toolkit (MVT) and current IOC sets, because Mali driver bugs regularly appear in multi-stage mobile exploit chains.

    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

    Use After Free vulnerability in Arm Ltd Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver, Arm Ltd Valhall GPU Kernel Driver allows a local non-privileged user to make improper GPU memory processing operations to gain access to already freed memory.This issue affects Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver: from r34p0 through r40p0; Valhall GPU Kernel Driver: from r34p0 through r40p0.

    Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities), pwn.watch, cvelistv5, NVD (NIST), 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 versionsFixed in
    Arm LtdBifrost GPU Kernel Driver
    • ≥ r34p0
    • —
    Arm LtdValhall GPU Kernel Driver
    • ≥ r34p0
    • —
    armbifrost_gpu_kernel_driver
    • r34p0 – < r41p0
    • r41p0
    armvalhall_gpu_kernel_driver
    • r34p0 – < r41p0
    • r41p0
    android:unknown:
    • SoCVersion:0
    • SoCVersion
    • SoCVersion:2024-07-05
    • —

    Vendors and products

    Weakness classes (CWE)

    • CWE-416Use After Free

      Variant

      The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.

      Entry at MITRE CWE-416

    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 CatalogCISA Known Exploited Vulnerability (opens in a new tab)cisa.govactively exploited

    References & sources

    • source.android.comsecurity/bulletin/2024-07-01advisory
    • developer.arm.comArm advisory: CVE-2024-4610Vendor advisory, pwn-watch
    • cisa.govknown-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2024-4610government-resource, US government resource
    • pwn.watchpwn.watch: Arm Mali GPU Kernel Driver Use-After-Freepwn-watch
    • NVD (NIST)NVD: CVE-2024-4610pwn-watch
    • cisa.govCISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalogpwn-watch
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    <a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2024-4610"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2024-4610.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2024-4610 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>