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5th Gen Gpu Architecture Kernel DriverApplication · Arm

CVE-2024-3655

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-09-03
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 r43p0 through r49p0; Valhall GPU Kernel Driver: from r43p0 through r49p0; Arm 5th Gen GPU Architecture Kernel Driver: from r43p0 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

A Use After Free vulnerability exists in Arm's Bifrost, Valhall, and 5th Gen GPU kernel drivers (versions r43p0 through r49p0). Local non-privileged users can exploit improper GPU memory processing operations to access already freed memory, potentially leading to privilege escalation or system instability.

MitigationUpdate Arm GPU kernel drivers to a version newer than r49p0. Apply kernel/driver patches through vendor-provided updates and verify the GPU driver version post-update.

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:>= r43p0, < r49p1
Bifrost Gpu Kernel DriverApplication
Affected:>= r43p0, < r49p1
Valhall Gpu Kernel DriverApplication
Affected:>= r43p0, < r49p1

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 GPU hardware in the system
    Check system hardware information (e.g., lspci, /proc/cpuinfo, or device tree) for Arm Mali GPU components (Bifrost, Valhall, or 5th Gen series)
    Affected if No Arm Mali GPU is present - the system is not affected
  2. Determine the installed Arm GPU kernel driver version
    Query the loaded GPU driver module or driver version file (commonly found in /sys/class/misc/mali0 or through mali_version sysfs entries, or via 'cat /proc driver/mali/version' on Android)
    Affected if Unable to retrieve a driver version number - further investigation needed
  3. Compare driver version against affected range
    Compare the retrieved version against the affected range: versions r43p0 through r49p0 are vulnerable (versions >= r43p0 and < r49p1)
    Affected if The installed version is r43p0, r43p1, r44p0, r45p0, r46p0, r47p0, r48p0, r49p0, or any version >= r43p0 but < r49p1 - the system IS affected
  4. Verify the GPU kernel driver is actively loaded
    Check if the Arm Mali GPU kernel driver module is currently loaded in memory (e.g., 'lsmod | grep mali' or check /proc/modules)
    Affected if The vulnerable driver version is loaded and the GPU is in use - the vulnerability is exploitable in this context

The system is affected only if it contains an Arm Bifrost, Valhall, or 5th Gen GPU with a kernel driver version between r43p0 and r49p0 inclusive, and that driver is actively loaded.

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 GPU kernel drivers to a version newer than r49p0. Apply kernel/driver patches through vendor-provided updates and verify the GPU driver version post-update.

Recommended fix High confidence

r49p1 (or any release >= r49p1)

  1. Identify the current GPU driver version using 'modinfo <driver_name>' or checking /sys/class/drm/
  2. Update the Arm GPU kernel driver package to version r49p1 or later through the system package manager (e.g., apt update && apt upgrade on Linux systems using distribution-provided drivers)
  3. Alternatively, obtain and install the fixed driver directly from Arm's official driver releases at developer.arm.com ensuring version r49p1 or newer is installed
  4. Reboot the system to load the updated kernel driver
  5. Verify the driver version has been updated to r49p1 or later using 'modinfo' or checking /sys/module/
Caveat Kernel driver updates may require system reboot; ensure compatibility with existing GPU workloads and confirm supporting software stack supports the new driver version

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
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2024-3655 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