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How CVE-2025-2879 works: This vulnerability exists in the Arm Valhall GPU Kernel Driver and the Arm 5th Gen GPU Architecture Kernel Driver. It affects specific version ranges: from r29p0 through r49p4 and from r50p0 through r54p0 for Valhall, and from r41p0 through r49p4 and from r50p0 through r54p0 for the 5th Gen driver. A local non-privileged user process can exploit this by submitting improper GPU processing operations. These operations involve malicious GPU commands or shaders designed to access restricted memory regions. The GPU driver fails to enforce proper access controls during command validation. This allows the GPU to read sensitive data from kernel memory or other processes. The vulnerability stems from insufficient isolation between GPU contexts and memory spaces. When a user process allocates GPU resources, the driver does not adequately sanitize memory mappings. Attackers can craft compute shaders or graphics pipelines that bypass security checks. These shaders exploit flaws in the driver’s handling of page tables or descriptors. As a result, the GPU processes unauthorized memory accesses and returns sensitive data. This data could include encryption keys, passwords, or system information. The exploit requires only local execution privileges, not administrative rights. The vulnerability highlights weaknesses in GPU-assisted security models. Arm’s GPU architecture uses shared memory that requires strict context switching. The driver’s inability to validate GPU operations during context switches leads to leaks. This issue is particularly critical in multi-tenant systems or cloud environments. Mitigation involves patching the driver to enforce proper access validation. The vulnerability underscores the importance of securing GPU kernel drivers.
Platform: Arm GPU Drivers
Version: r29p0-r54p0
Vulnerability: Information disclosure
Severity: High
date: 12/01/2025
Prediction: Patch date TBD
What Undercode Say:
Analytics:
Check system for Arm GPU drivers lsmod | grep -E "mali|valhall" Verify kernel version and drivers uname -r cat /sys/class/misc/mali0/version 2>/dev/null Inspect device tree for GPU info cat /proc/device-tree/compatible
how Exploit:
Local user crafts malicious GPU shaders to access unauthorized memory via vulnerable driver, leaking sensitive data.
Protection from this CVE
Update to patched versions from Arm; restrict GPU access.
Impact:
Sensitive data exposure, potential privilege escalation, kernel memory leakage.
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Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
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