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5th Gen Gpu Architecture Kernel DriverApplication · Arm

CVE-2024-2937

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-08-05
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
Use After Free vulnerability in Arm Ltd Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver, Arm Ltd Valhall GPU Kernel Driver, Arm Ltd Arm 5th Gen GPU Architecture 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 r41p0 through r49p0; Valhall GPU Kernel Driver: from r41p0 through r49p0; Arm 5th Gen GPU Architecture Kernel Driver: from r41p0 through r49p0.

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 · high confidence

Use After Free vulnerability in Arm Mali GPU kernel drivers (Bifrost, Valhall, and 5th Gen architectures) allows a local non-privileged user to manipulate GPU memory operations to access already-freed memory. The flaw exists in driver versions r41p0 through r49p0 and can be exploited to potentially execute code in kernel context.

MitigationUpdate Arm Mali GPU drivers to a version beyond r49p0 to receive the security fix. Organizations should inventory systems using affected GPU hardware and schedule driver updates as a priority, given the local privilege escalation potential.

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
5th Gen Gpu Architecture Kernel DriverApplication
Affected:>= r41p0, < r50p0
Bifrost Gpu Kernel DriverApplication
Affected:>= r41p0, < r50p0
Valhall Gpu Kernel DriverApplication
Affected:>= r41p0, < r50p0

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 Mali GPU hardware
    Use system inventory tools such as lspci, lshw, or vendor-specific utilities to enumerate GPU devices and confirm the presence of an Arm Mali GPU. Look for Bifrost, Valhall, or 5th Gen architecture identifiers in the device listing.
    Affected if The system contains an Arm Mali GPU based on Bifrost, Valhall, or 5th Gen architecture.
  2. Locate Mali GPU kernel driver
    Identify the Mali GPU kernel driver loaded on the system. On Linux, this may appear as 'mali' or 'mali_kbase' in the list of loaded modules (lsmod), or within /sys/class/misc or /dev entries related to GPU.
    Affected if A Mali GPU kernel driver is loaded and active on the system.
  3. Retrieve driver version
    Query the installed driver version through system tools. On Linux, this can often be done via 'modinfo mali' or by checking version information in /sys/module/mali/version, or using vendor-provided diagnostic tools.
    Affected if The driver version cannot be retrieved, which may indicate the driver is not properly installed or the system lacks proper driver instrumentation.
  4. Compare version against affected range
    Parse the retrieved version string (format: rXXp0) and verify whether it falls within the affected range of r41p0 through r49p0 inclusive. Versions below r41p0 or at r50p0 and above are not affected.
    Affected if The installed driver version is r41p0, r42p0, r43p0, r44p0, r45p0, r46p0, r47p0, r48p0, or r49p0.

The system is affected if it runs an Arm Mali GPU (Bifrost, Valhall, or 5th Gen) with a kernel driver version between r41p0 and r49p0 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 Arm Mali GPU drivers to a version beyond r49p0 to receive the security fix. Organizations should inventory systems using affected GPU hardware and schedule driver updates as a priority, given the local privilege escalation potential.

Recommended fix High confidence

r50p0 or later

  1. Identify the current GPU kernel driver version in use (bifrost, valhall, or 5th gen architecture)
  2. Download or obtain the fixed driver version r50p0 or later from Arm's official driver distribution channel
  3. Install the new GPU kernel driver following the standard driver update procedure for your system
  4. Reboot the system to load the new driver
  5. Verify the driver version is now r50p0 or higher using appropriate system tools (e.g., modinfo for Linux)

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

Fix this in 5th Gen Gpu Architecture Kernel Driver Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,160
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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-2024-2937 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data