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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-48409

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-08
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
In gpu_pixel_handle_buffer_liveness_update_ioctl of private/google-modules/gpu/mali_kbase/mali_kbase_core_linux.c, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an integer overflow. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.

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

An integer overflow vulnerability exists in the Mali GPU kernel driver's buffer liveness update ioctl handler (gpu_pixel_handle_buffer_liveness_update_ioctl) within the mali_kbase_core_linux.c file. This flaw allows an out-of-bounds write to occur, enabling a local attacker to escalate privileges without requiring user interaction or additional execution privileges.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied security updates for the Mali GPU driver; this kernel-level vulnerability requires patching the affected GPU driver code through system-level updates from Google or the GPU vendor (ARM).

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
AndroidOperating system
Affected:all versions

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. Confirm the device runs Google Android
    Check the OS version via 'Settings > About Phone > Android version' or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' in adb shell
    Affected if The device runs any version of Google Android, as all versions are listed as affected
  2. Identify if the device uses a Mali GPU
    Check the kernel modules or hardware info: run 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' looking for Mali GPU entries, or check 'ls /sys/class/misc/mali*' and 'ls /dev/mali*' in adb shell. Also check 'getprop ro.hardware' for Mali-related hardware identifiers
    Affected if The device has a Mali GPU (mali_kbase driver present), as this vulnerability exists in the Mali GPU kernel driver specifically
  3. Check the Mali GPU driver version
    Run 'cat /sys/module/mali_kbase/version' or 'modinfo mali_kbase' in adb shell to retrieve the driver version
    Affected if The driver version is known and corresponds to unpatched versions; compare against any ARM or Google security advisories for CVE-2023-48409 (the vulnerability is in the gpu_pixel_handle_buffer_liveness_update_ioctl handler)
  4. Verify the vulnerable ioctl interface exists
    Check for the presence of the buffer liveness update ioctl: search for 'gpu_pixel_handle_buffer_liveness_update_ioctl' in /proc/kallsyms or check driver configuration at '/sys/module/mali_kbase/parameters/' in adb shell
    Affected if The ioctl handler is exposed and the driver is unpatched, enabling the integer overflow to be triggered locally

A device is affected if it runs Google Android with an unpatched Mali GPU kernel driver that exposes the vulnerable buffer liveness update ioctl interface, allowing a local attacker to exploit the integer overflow for privilege escalation.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied security updates for the Mali GPU driver; this kernel-level vulnerability requires patching the affected GPU driver code through system-level updates from Google or the GPU vendor (ARM).

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,120
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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-2023-48409 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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