CVE-2024-4607 in Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver
Summary
by MITRE • 08/05/2024
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 r41p0 through r49p0; Valhall GPU Kernel Driver: from r41p0 through r49p0; Arm 5th Gen GPU Architecture Kernel Driver: from r41p0 through r49p0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/10/2024
This use after free vulnerability exists within Arm Ltd's GPU kernel drivers affecting multiple generations of their graphics processing architecture including Bifrost, Valhall, and the 5th generation GPU architecture. The flaw manifests when a local non-privileged user can manipulate GPU memory operations to access memory that has already been freed by the system. This represents a critical security weakness that violates fundamental memory safety principles and creates potential attack vectors for privilege escalation. The vulnerability specifically impacts driver versions ranging from r41p0 through r49p0 across all affected GPU architectures, indicating a widespread issue that affects multiple driver releases.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management within the kernel driver code where memory allocation and deallocation sequences are not properly synchronized or validated. When a GPU memory operation occurs, the system fails to properly track memory references after deallocation, allowing subsequent operations to access freed memory regions. This memory corruption can lead to arbitrary code execution or system instability, as attackers can manipulate the freed memory to inject malicious code or corrupt critical kernel data structures. The vulnerability operates at the kernel level where privilege separation is typically enforced, making it particularly dangerous for local attackers who can leverage this flaw to bypass security boundaries.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for systems utilizing Arm GPU architectures in enterprise and mobile environments. The local non-privileged nature of the attack means that any user with basic system access can potentially exploit this flaw, making it particularly concerning for multi-user systems or environments where user isolation is not strictly enforced. The impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation to include potential system crashes, data corruption, and unauthorized access to sensitive system resources. The affected driver versions span a considerable timeframe, indicating that this vulnerability has been present for multiple driver releases and could affect a large number of deployed systems.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate driver updates to versions that address the memory management flaw, as well as implementing additional system hardening measures. Organizations should prioritize patching affected systems and monitor for any exploitation attempts in their environments. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-416 which specifically addresses use after free conditions in memory management, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and potentially to execution through kernel exploits, making it a significant concern for defensive cybersecurity teams. System administrators should also consider implementing additional monitoring for unusual GPU memory access patterns and ensure proper access controls are in place to limit potential exploitation opportunities.