CVE-2024-33034 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 08/05/2024
Memory corruption can occur if VBOs hold outdated or invalid GPU SMMU mappings, especially when the binding and reclaiming of memory buffers are performed at the same time.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/20/2024
This vulnerability resides in the gpu memory management subsystem where improper handling of virtual buffer objects can lead to critical memory corruption conditions. The flaw manifests when vertex buffer objects maintain stale or invalid mappings within the system memory management unit, particularly during concurrent binding and reclamation operations. The root cause involves race conditions and inadequate synchronization mechanisms that allow memory references to persist beyond their valid lifecycle. This vulnerability specifically affects graphics processing units that utilize system memory management unit architectures, where the gpu maintains mappings between virtual and physical memory addresses through sMMU mechanisms. The memory corruption occurs because the system fails to properly invalidate or update mapping entries when buffer objects are rebound or reclaimed, creating opportunities for unauthorized memory access patterns and potential privilege escalation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability leverages the interaction between gpu memory management and sMMU translation tables, where invalid mappings can persist in the memory management unit while the gpu continues to reference these stale entries. When concurrent operations occur such as binding new memory regions while simultaneously reclaiming old ones, the sMMU may continue to use outdated translation entries that no longer correspond to valid physical memory locations. This creates a scenario where memory corruption can occur through either buffer overflows, use-after-free conditions, or arbitrary memory writes that bypass normal memory protection mechanisms. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the kernel level within gpu drivers, where memory corruption can lead to complete system compromise and bypass traditional security controls. The flaw aligns with CWE-121 and CWE-125 categories related to buffer overflow and out-of-bounds memory access conditions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple memory corruption to potentially enable privilege escalation and system compromise within gpu driver environments. Attackers can exploit this condition to execute arbitrary code within the gpu memory management context, potentially leading to complete system compromise or data exfiltration from protected memory regions. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where gpu acceleration is heavily utilized for rendering, machine learning, or cryptographic operations. The timing and concurrent nature of the race condition makes this vulnerability difficult to detect through standard runtime analysis, as it may only manifest under specific load conditions or when multiple gpu operations occur simultaneously. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566.001 for spearphishing attachment, as attackers may leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access through gpu-based attack vectors. The vulnerability affects systems using sMMU-enabled gpu architectures including but not limited to arm-based systems with gpu acceleration, intel graphics platforms, and various mobile device gpu implementations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate driver updates from manufacturers to address the race condition in buffer management and sMMU mapping invalidation. System administrators should implement memory access controls and disable unnecessary gpu memory sharing features until patches are deployed. The solution involves proper synchronization mechanisms between buffer binding and reclamation operations, ensuring that sMMU mappings are properly invalidated before memory reclamation occurs. Additionally, memory management unit configurations should be reviewed to ensure proper cache coherency and translation table invalidation protocols are enforced. Organizations should consider implementing runtime monitoring for gpu memory operations and establish baseline behaviors to detect anomalous memory access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper memory management in gpu driver architectures and requires careful attention to concurrent access controls within memory management subsystems. Hardware vendors must ensure that sMMU implementations include proper memory consistency guarantees and that driver software properly handles the lifecycle management of gpu memory mappings.