Arm Mali GPU Kernel Driver Use-After-Free Vulnerability (CVE-2024-4610) Analysis and Mitigation Guide
Executive & SecOps Summary
SECOPS ASSESSMENTArm Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver and Valhall GPU Kernel Driver from r34p0 through r40p0.
A local non-privileged user can exploit this vulnerability to access already freed memory, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution and kernel privilege escalation.
Immediately upgrade the Arm Mali GPU kernel driver to version r41p0 or later.
Affected Products & Version Scope
Remediation & Live Workaround Commands
PATCH & WORKAROUND1. Official Patch & Version Upgrade Commands
According to the vendor advisory, users must upgrade their GPU kernel driver to version r41p0 or later. Apply the patch in your kernel build environment as follows:
# Navigate to the Mali GPU driver source directory
cd /path/to/kernel/drivers/gpu/arm/midgard
# Fetch and checkout the patched version (r41p0 or later)
git fetch origin
git checkout r41p0
# Rebuild the kernel and driver modules
make ARCH=arm64 defconfig
make ARCH=arm64 -j$(nproc)2. Temporary Workaround & Hardening Configuration
If patching cannot be applied immediately, restrict access to the Mali GPU device node (/dev/mali0) to prevent non-privileged local users from interacting with the driver.
# Check current permissions of the Mali GPU device node
ls -l /dev/mali0
# Restrict access permissions to root-only (600) as a temporary workaround
sudo chmod 600 /dev/mali03. Log Audit & IoC Verification Commands
Use the following commands to verify the active Mali GPU driver version and inspect kernel logs for potential exploitation attempts or memory faults.
# 1. Check the currently loaded Mali GPU driver version
cat /sys/module/mali_kbase/version
# 2. Inspect kernel logs for GPU memory faults or UAF indicators
dmesg | grep -Ei 'mali|use-after-free|page fault|gp_mmu_fault'Block Kernel Privilege Escalation & Ransomware Payloads Before You Can Reboot
Protect unpatched Windows, Linux, and macOS workloads against in-memory exploitation and lateral movement with autonomous EDR.
Technical Root Cause & Exploitation Mechanics
1. Vulnerability Overview & Root Cause
This vulnerability (CVE-2024-4610) is a critical Use-After-Free (UAF) flaw in the Arm Bifrost and Valhall GPU Kernel Drivers. The root cause lies in improper GPU memory processing operations where the driver fails to properly invalidate pointers after freeing memory objects. This allows a local, non-privileged attacker to trigger operations that access and manipulate the previously freed memory space.
2. Exploitation Mechanics & Attack Scenario
An attacker with local access to the system can craft malicious GPU memory allocation and deallocation requests. By triggering a Use-After-Free condition, the attacker can overwrite the freed memory block with controlled data before the driver re-references it. This enables the attacker to hijack the kernel execution flow or modify critical kernel structures, ultimately escalating privileges from a standard local user to kernel-level authority.
3. Infrastructure & Business Impact
This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, indicating active exploitation in the wild. Since Arm Mali GPUs are widely integrated into Android smartphones, IoT devices, and embedded systems, the business impact is severe. Successful exploitation bypasses application sandboxes, leading to complete device compromise, data exfiltration, and persistent malware installation.
Official Vendor Advisories & References
Use After Free vulnerability in Arm Ltd Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver, Arm Ltd Valhall GPU 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 r34p0 through r40p0; Valhall GPU Kernel Driver: from r34p0 through r40p0.
Frequently Asked SecOps Questions (CVE-2024-4610)
FAQQ1. How critical is CVE-2024-4610 and is it actively exploited in the wild?
CVE-2024-4610 is rated CVSS 7.8 (HIGH) with a 30-day EPSS exploitation probability of 0.8%. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requiring immediate emergency remediation.
Q2. Which vendors and products are affected by CVE-2024-4610?
Primary impacted vendors include arm across bifrost gpu kernel driver, valhall gpu kernel driver. Scope summary: Arm Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver and Valhall GPU Kernel Driver: versions r34p0 through r40p0
Q3. What temporary mitigations or workarounds exist for CVE-2024-4610 before patching?
[Mitigation] Immediately upgrade the Arm Mali GPU kernel driver to version r41p0 or later. Follow the CLI remediation commands and interactive SecOps checklist on this page to restrict exposure prior to your maintenance window.
Generate an Internal Engineering Notice or CISO Report for CVE-2024-4610
Instantly format this advisory into an executive CISO summary or engineering patch ticket.
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