Privilege escalation in ARM Mali GPU kernel drivers

1) Out-of-bounds write

EUVDB-ID: #VU74192

Risk: High

CVSSv4.0: 8.5 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A/U:Amber]

CVE-ID: CVE-2022-22706

CWE-ID: CWE-787 - Out-of-bounds write

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a local application to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to a boundary error. A local application can trigger an out-of-bounds write and execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. This vulnerability was patched in Google Pixel and tracked under #VU64876 (CVE-2021-39793).

Note, the vulnerability is known to be exploited in the wild in targeted attacks.

Mitigation

Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Midgard GPU Kernel Driver: All versions

Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver: All versions

Valhall GPU Kernel Driver: All versions

CPE2.3

• cpe:2.3:h:arm:midgard_gpu_kernel_driver:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:h:arm:bifrost_gpu_kernel_driver:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:h:arm:valhall_gpu_kernel_driver:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

External links

https://developer.arm.com/support/arm-security-updates/mali-gpu-kernel-driver
https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/spyware-vendors-use-0-days-and-n-days-against-popular-platforms/

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

Yes. This vulnerability is being exploited in the wild.