CVE-2022-28350
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Arm Mali GPU Kernel Driver allows attackers to trigger a use-after-free condition through improper GPU operations, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges. It affects devices using Arm Mali GPU drivers from Valhall r29p0 through r36p0. This impacts Android devices, embedded systems, and other devices using these GPU drivers.
💻 Affected Systems
- Arm Mali GPU Kernel Driver
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with kernel-level code execution, allowing complete device control, data theft, and persistence.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation to kernel level, enabling bypass of security controls and installation of malware.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper sandboxing and SELinux/apparmor policies restrict GPU access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access or malicious app installation. No public exploit code known at this time.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: r37p0 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://developer.arm.com/Arm%20Security%20Center/Mali%20GPU%20Driver%20Vulnerabilities
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check current Mali driver version. 2. Update to r37p0 or later from device manufacturer. 3. Reboot device. 4. Verify update applied successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict GPU access
linuxUse SELinux/apparmor policies to restrict GPU driver access to trusted applications only.
# Configure SELinux policies to restrict mali device access
# Example: semanage permissive -d mali_device_t
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate affected devices from critical networks and sensitive data
- Implement strict application whitelisting to prevent malicious app execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Mali driver version: cat /sys/kernel/debug/mali0/version or check device specifications from manufacturer.Check Version:
cat /sys/kernel/debug/mali0/version 2>/dev/null || dmesg | grep -i maliVerify Fix Applied:
Verify driver version shows r37p0 or later after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic logs
- GPU driver crash messages
- SELinux/apparmor denials for mali device access
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from device after local compromise
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("mali" OR "GPU") AND ("panic" OR "crash" OR "use-after-free")