dbcve.org
Valhall Gpu Kernel DriverApplication · Arm

CVE-2023-5091

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Use After Free vulnerability in Arm Ltd Valhall GPU Kernel Driver allows a local non-privileged user to make improper GPU processing operations to gain access to already freed memory. This issue affects Valhall GPU Kernel Driver: from r37p0 through r40p0.

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

Use After Free vulnerability in Arm Ltd Valhall GPU Kernel Driver allows a local non-privileged user to make improper GPU processing operations to gain access to already freed memory. This affects Valhall GPU Kernel Driver versions r37p0 through r40p0. The flaw exists in GPU processing operations within the kernel driver, where memory is freed but pointers to that memory remain accessible.

MitigationUpdate the Valhall GPU Kernel Driver to a version beyond r40p0 once the patch is released by Arm Ltd. Apply kernel and driver updates through standard patch management processes for systems with affected GPU hardware.

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:>= r37p0, <= r40p0

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
None
Availability
None

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

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 the loaded Arm Valhall GPU kernel driver module
    Run 'lsmod | grep -i -E "mali|valhall|panfrost"' to find Arm GPU driver modules. Also check /proc/modules for any arm, mali, or valhall related modules.
    Affected if No Arm GPU driver module is loaded - the system does not use this driver.
  2. Retrieve the driver version
    Use 'modinfo <module_name>' where <module_name> is the identified driver module, then look for the 'version' or 'srcversion' field. Alternatively, check 'cat /sys/module/<module_name>/version' if available.
    Affected if Unable to determine version - driver version cannot be verified.
  3. Compare the installed version against the affected range
    Examine the version string obtained from the previous step. The affected range is r37p0 through r40p0 inclusive. If the version starts with 'r37', 'r38', 'r39', or 'r40', it falls within the affected range.
    Affected if Version is r37p0, r38p0, r39p0, or r40p0 - the system is running a vulnerable driver version.
  4. Verify GPU hardware is Valhall architecture
    Check /sys/class/drm/card*/device or run 'lspci | grep -i vga' to identify the GPU model. Valhall refers to ARM Mali-G-series GPUs (Mali-G77 and later). Confirm the GPU is an ARM Mali Valhall GPU.
    Affected if The GPU is not an ARM Valhall GPU - the vulnerability does not apply to this hardware.

A system is affected if it has an ARM Valhall GPU (Mali-G77 or later) running a kernel driver version between r37p0 and r40p0 inclusive.

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

Update the Valhall GPU Kernel Driver to a version beyond r40p0 once the patch is released by Arm Ltd. Apply kernel and driver updates through standard patch management processes for systems with affected GPU hardware.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Any version after r40p0 (e.g., r41p0 or later releases)

  1. Identify the current Valhall GPU Kernel Driver version in use (e.g., via `modinfo` or system logs)
  2. Ensure the system is backed up before making changes
  3. Upgrade the GPU kernel driver to a version newer than r40p0 (such as r41p0 or later)
  4. Verify the new driver version is loaded correctly after reboot or driver reload
  5. Confirm the vulnerability is resolved by checking that the driver no longer exhibits the Use After Free behavior
Caveat Review release notes for any API changes or compatibility considerations between r37p0-r40p0 and the target upgrade version

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

Fix this in Valhall Gpu Kernel Driver Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,760
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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-2023-5091 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
  • 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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