CVE-2026-21732
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 · uneditedA web page that contains unusual GPU shader code is loaded into the GPU compiler process and can trigger a write out-of-bounds write crash in the GPU shader compiler library. On certain platforms, when the compiler process has system privileges this could enable further exploits on the device. An edge case using a very large value in switch statements in GPU shader code can cause a segmentation fault in the GPU shader compiler due to an out-of-bounds write access.
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 confidenceA memory corruption vulnerability exists in the GPU shader compiler where specially crafted shader code containing switch statements with unusually large values causes an out-of-bounds write, leading to a segmentation fault. When the GPU compiler process runs with elevated system privileges on affected platforms, this memory corruption can potentially be leveraged for privilege escalation.
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>= 24.1, <= 25.1= 1.17= 1.18= 23.2CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Imaginationtech DDK installationQuery the system for installed Imagination Technologies DDK packages or driver components. Common methods: check /usr/lib/dri/ or /usr/local/lib/ for Imagination GPU drivers; use package manager queries like dpkg -l or rpm -qa for 'imagination' or 'powervr' related packages; or check Windows registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ImaginationTechnologies for installed driver version.Affected if The DDK version matches 1.17, 1.18, 23.2, or falls within 24.1 to 25.1 inclusive.
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Determine GPU shader compiler component versionLocate the specific shader compiler binary or library (commonly named imgcompiler, img-cgc, or similar) within the DDK installation directory. Use 'file' command on the binary or check version info via 'strings' or the binary's --version flag if available.Affected if The shader compiler version matches the affected DDK versions listed above.
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Verify shader compilation feature usageReview application logs, build pipelines, or system activity for any processes that invoke the GPU shader compiler. Check if any applications or games using Imagination PowerVR GPUs are running shader compilation jobs, particularly those that may process third-party or untrusted shader code.Affected if Shader compilation from untrusted or external sources is being performed using the affected compiler.
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Check GPU compiler process privilegesUse process monitoring tools (ps, top, Process Explorer) to observe the privilege level of the GPU compiler process. Look for processes running as root, SYSTEM, or with elevated UID compared to standard user processes.Affected if The GPU shader compiler process runs with root/SYSTEM or elevated privileges, making potential exploitation more impactful.
If the Imaginationtech DDK version is 1.17, 1.18, 23.2, or between 24.1 and 25.1 inclusive AND the GPU shader compiler is actively processing shader code, the environment is potentially affected by this vulnerability.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataApply vendor patches for the GPU shader compiler; consider running the compiler with reduced privileges to limit exploit impact; implement input validation on shader code before compilation.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation24.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-21732 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-21732 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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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