dbcve.org
Valhall Gpu Kernel DriverApplication · Arm

CVE-2023-3889

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A local non-privileged user can make improper GPU memory processing operations. If the operations are carefully prepared, then they could be used to gain access to already freed memory.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability in GPU memory handling allows a local unprivileged user to manipulate GPU memory processing operations in a way that grants access to already-freed memory regions. This is a memory safety flaw in the graphics subsystem that can be exploited with carefully prepared memory operations.

MitigationApply vendor-provided driver and kernel patches for the affected GPU hardware; this typically involves updating graphics drivers to the latest stable version from the GPU manufacturer.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Valhall Gpu Kernel DriverApplication
Affected:>= r38p0, <= r44p0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Arm Valhall GPU hardware in the system
    Run 'lspci | grep -i gpu' or check dmesg for 'valhall' or 'mali' GPU device signatures to confirm the system contains Arm Valhall graphics hardware
    Affected if The system does not contain Arm Valhall GPU hardware, then this CVE does not apply
  2. Locate the installed GPU kernel driver
    Check /sys/class/drm for card devices and run 'lsmod' to find loaded GPU kernel modules such as 'panfrost', 'mali', or similar Arm GPU drivers
    Affected if No Arm GPU kernel driver is loaded or present on the system
  3. Retrieve the driver version number
    Use 'modinfo <driver_module_name>' to query the driver version, or check the driver file version in /sys/module/<driver_module_name>/version if available
    Affected if The driver version cannot be determined or no Arm GPU driver is found
  4. Compare installed version against affected range
    Compare the retrieved version to the affected range: r38p0 through r44p0 inclusive. Note that versions below r38p0 and above r44p0 are not affected
    Affected if The installed driver version falls within r38p0 through r44p0 inclusive, indicating the system is affected by this vulnerability
  5. Verify GPU memory processing is accessible
    Confirm that user-space access to GPU memory operations is possible, typically via /dev/dri/card* devices or through GPU memory allocation interfaces available to local users
    Affected if GPU memory processing features are accessible to local unprivileged users and the driver version is in the affected range

The system is affected only if it contains Arm Valhall GPU hardware with a kernel driver version between r38p0 and r44p0 inclusive where GPU memory processing is accessible to local users.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor-provided driver and kernel patches for the affected GPU hardware; this typically involves updating graphics drivers to the latest stable version from the GPU manufacturer.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Valhall GPU Kernel Driver r45p0 or later (any release beyond r44p0)

  1. 1. Identify the current Mali GPU driver version in use by checking /sys/class/misc/mali0/device/version or using 'cat /proc/version' for kernel version context
  2. 2. Navigate to Arm's Mali GPU developer portal at developer.arm.com and locate the Valhall GPU Kernel Driver security notices
  3. 3. Download the driver package for a version newer than r44p0 (such as r45p0 or later stable release)
  4. 4. Extract the driver files from the downloaded package
  5. 5. Replace the existing Mali kernel module files (typically in /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/drivers/gpu/arm/) with the new versions
  6. 6. Update the firmware files if included in the driver package, placing them in /lib/firmware/
  7. 7. Reboot the system to load the new driver
  8. 8. Verify the new driver version is loaded using 'modinfo mali' or checking /sys/class/misc/mali0/device/version
Caveat Driver updates may introduce minor behavioral changes; ensure compatibility with your specific GPU model and kernel version before deploying to production

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Valhall Gpu Kernel Driver Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-3889 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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