IRONSMITHINTEL
HIGHCVSS8.8
|
Actively Exploited
|CISA KEV|CVE-2021-28664|Auth: low — authenticated user|Reboot: required|Manual only

Arm Mali Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) Unspecified Vulnerability (CVE-2021-28664)

Arm Mali Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) kernel driver contains an unspecified vulnerability that may allow a non-privileged user to gain write access to read-only memory, gain root privilege, corrupt memory, and modify the memory of other processes.

Published May 10, 2021 · Updated May 17, 2026
Why patchRisk explained in plain English
Worst-case scenarioIf unpatched

A remote attacker, with a low-privilege account, can achieve full data confidentiality loss, arbitrary modification of data, complete denial of service or system unavailability. Federal agencies are required to remediate by 2021-11-17 under CISA BOD 22-01.

How the attack worksNo clicks needed

This is a Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787) vulnerability in Arm Mali Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). The Arm Mali GPU kernel driver allows privilege escalation or a denial of service (memory corruption) because an unprivileged user can achieve read/write access to read-only pages. This affects Bifrost r0p0 through r29p0 before r30p0, Valhall r19p0 through r29p0 before r30p0, and Midgard r8p0 through r30p0 before r31p0. Exploitation requires remote network access, low attack complexity, a low-privilege authenticated account, and no user interaction required.

Am I affected?Quick check

Probably yes if any of these apply:

IT Security
Running bifrost gpu kernel driver: r0p0 ≤ v < r29p0; midgard gpu kernel driver: r8p0 ≤ v < r31p0; valhall gpu kernel driver: r19p0 ≤ v < r29p0
Real-world incidentsWhat we've seen

CISA added this CVE to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2021-11-03 based on evidence of active exploitation in the wild. Federal agencies required to remediate by 2021-11-17.

How to patch

Manual remediation steps

1
Identify affected hosts: query inventory for general installs in scope.
2
Apply the vendor security update referenced in CVE-2021-28664's advisory. No specific KB/version is encoded yet — consult the linked MSRC/vendor URL.
3
Verify the fix per the vendor's published verification steps.
4
Document the remediation in your change ticket and re-scan with your vulnerability scanner to confirm closure.
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