CVE-2022-46396 in Mali Kernel Driver
Summary
by MITRE • 04/12/2023
An issue was discovered in the Arm Mali Kernel Driver. A non-privileged user can make improper GPU memory processing operations to access a limited amount outside of buffer bounds. This affects Valhall r29p0 through r41p0 before r42p0 and Avalon r41p0 before r42p0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-46396 resides within the Arm Mali Kernel Driver, specifically impacting GPU memory management operations. This issue represents a classic buffer overflow condition that occurs during GPU memory processing, where a non-privileged user can exploit improper memory handling to access memory locations beyond the intended buffer boundaries. The vulnerability affects multiple generations of Arm Mali GPU architectures including Valhall series ranging from r29p0 through r41p0 before r42p0 and Avalon series from r41p0 before r42p0, indicating a widespread impact across various GPU implementations. The flaw manifests when GPU memory operations are processed without proper bounds checking, creating an opportunity for memory access violations that could potentially expose sensitive data or system information.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate memory boundary validation within the kernel driver's GPU memory management subsystem. When user-space applications submit GPU memory operations, the kernel driver fails to properly validate the memory access ranges, allowing malicious operations to extend beyond allocated buffer limits. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-129, which specifically addresses improper validation of buffer boundaries, and represents a form of memory safety issue that can lead to information disclosure or privilege escalation. The vulnerability's exploitation requires only non-privileged user access, making it particularly concerning as it does not require elevated privileges to potentially compromise system integrity. The memory access violations occur at the kernel level where GPU memory operations are processed, creating potential pathways for information leakage or system state manipulation.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-46396 extends beyond simple memory access violations, as it could enable attackers to extract sensitive information from GPU memory spaces or potentially disrupt normal GPU operations. While the vulnerability is limited to accessing "a limited amount outside of buffer bounds," this access could still reveal system configuration details, cryptographic keys, or other sensitive information stored in GPU memory. The affected GPU architectures span multiple generations, indicating that organizations with various Mali-based devices and systems may be vulnerable to this issue. This vulnerability could be particularly dangerous in environments where GPU acceleration is used for security-critical operations, as it may allow for information disclosure that could aid in further attacks. The impact is further amplified by the fact that these GPU drivers are commonly found in mobile devices, embedded systems, and other computing platforms where GPU memory management is critical for system functionality.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-46396 should prioritize immediate firmware and driver updates from Arm and device manufacturers to address the specific memory validation issues within the Mali Kernel Driver. System administrators should implement monitoring for unusual GPU memory access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on memory access violations that occur outside of normal operational bounds. The vulnerability's nature suggests that implementing additional memory protection mechanisms within the kernel driver could provide defense-in-depth measures, though this requires careful consideration of performance impacts on GPU operations. Organizations should also consider implementing access controls and privilege separation to limit the potential impact of any successful exploitation attempts, while maintaining compliance with security standards such as those outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and ISO 27001. Regular security assessments of GPU memory management operations should be conducted to identify potential additional vulnerabilities in similar memory handling operations that may not yet be publicly disclosed.