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5th Gen Gpu Architecture Kernel DriverApplication · Arm

CVE-2024-6790

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-03
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
63/100
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
Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition ('Infinite Loop') 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 non-privileged user process to make valid GPU memory processing operations, including via WebGL or WebGPU, to cause the whole system to become unresponsive.This issue affects Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver: r44p1, from r46p0 through r49p0, from r50p0 through r51p0; Valhall GPU Kernel Driver: r44p1, from r46p0 through r49p0, from r50p0 through r51p0; Arm 5th Gen GPU Architecture Kernel Driver: r44p1, from r46p0 through r49p0, from r50p0 through r51p0.

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 vulnerability in Arm's Bifrost, Valhall, and Arm 5th Gen GPU kernel drivers allows a non-privileged user process to trigger an infinite loop via GPU memory processing operations (including WebGL/WebGPU), causing system-wide denial of service.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided driver patch/update from Arm that fixes the infinite loop condition in affected driver versions (r44p1, r46p0-r49p0, r50p0-r51p0).

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:>= r46p0, < r49p1>= r50p0, < r52p0= r44p1
Bifrost Gpu Kernel DriverApplication
Affected:>= r46p0, < r49p1>= r50p0, <= r51p0= r44p1
Valhall Gpu Kernel DriverApplication
Affected:>= r46p0, < r49p1>= r50p0, < r52p0= r44p1

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
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/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 if an Arm GPU kernel driver is loaded
    Run 'lsmod | grep -iE "mali|bifrost|valhall|arm"' or check '/proc/modules' for Arm GPU driver modules. Also check 'lspci -k' for GPU device drivers.
    Affected if No Arm GPU driver modules appear in the module list, then the system is not affected by this specific CVE.
  2. Determine the installed driver version
    Check the driver version via 'cat /sys/class/misc/mali0/device/version' or run 'dmesg | grep -i mali' to find version strings like r44p1, r46p0, r47p0, r48p0, r49p0, r50p0, r51p0, r52p0 in the kernel logs.
    Affected if The driver version matches any of the affected ranges: r44p1, or r46p0 through r49p0 inclusive, or r50p0 through r51p0 (or r52p0 for 5th Gen/Valhall). Compare your version against: >= r46p0 and < r49p1; >= r50p0 and < r52p0 (or <= r51p0 for Bifrost); or = r44p1.
  3. Verify the GPU is actively used for memory operations
    Monitor for processes or applications using WebGL or WebGPU, or any GPU memory processing tasks. Check running processes via 'ps aux | grep -iE "webgl|webgpu"' or inspect browser processes that may utilize GPU acceleration.
    Affected if The system has no active GPU workload involving memory processing operations (including WebGL/WebGPU), the exploitability is significantly reduced, though the vulnerable code may still be present.

If an Arm Bifrost, Valhall, or 5th Gen GPU kernel driver is loaded and its version falls within r44p1, r46p0-r49p0, r50p0-r51p0 (or r52p0 for 5th Gen/Valhall), the environment is affected by this CVE.

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 the vendor-provided driver patch/update from Arm that fixes the infinite loop condition in affected driver versions (r44p1, r46p0-r49p0, r50p0-r51p0).

Recommended fix High confidence

Bifrost: r49p1 or later (recommended r52p0); Valhall: r52p0; 5th Gen GPU Architecture: r52p0

  1. Identify the specific Arm GPU kernel driver in use (Bifrost, Valhall, or 5th Gen Architecture) by checking /sys or driver documentation
  2. Determine the current installed version using 'modinfo <driver_module_name>' or checking /proc driver version info
  3. For Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver: upgrade to r49p1 or later (or r52p0 to align with other drivers)
  4. For Valhall GPU Kernel Driver: upgrade to r52p0
  5. For 5th Gen GPU Architecture Kernel Driver: upgrade to r52p0
  6. Reboot the system or reload the GPU kernel module to apply the fixed driver version
  7. Verify the new driver version is loaded using 'modinfo' or checking /proc/driver/...
  8. Test GPU functionality (e.g., WebGL, OpenGL, Vulkan applications) to confirm normal operation
Caveat Newer driver versions may have behavior changes; review release notes for any GPU functionality or performance modifications

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
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,360
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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-2024-6790 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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