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Graphics DDK CVE-2026-45200

| EUVDEUVD-2026-70857 HIGH
Use After Free (CWE-416)
2026-09-04 imaginationtech GHSA-fcpf-2c9p-9w89
7.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: imaginationtech
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Recon
    Gain local unprivileged shell
  2. Delivery
    Open GPU device node via IOCTL
  3. Exploit
    Craft malicious allocation-flag bitmask
  4. Install
    Trigger double-free in kernel driver
  5. C2
    Corrupt kernel heap metadata via freed buffer
  6. Execute
    Overwrite kernel credential or function pointer
  7. Impact
    Execute code as kernel (root)

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Memory lifecycle management
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

The attacker must have local code execution on the target system as any non-privileged (unprivileged) user account - no special privileges are required beyond the ability to open the GPU device node, which is typically accessible to all users or to members of a 'video'/'render' group on Linux systems. The vulnerable Graphics DDK must be the active GPU driver (i.e., a device with a PowerVR GPU and the Imagination Technologies DDK loaded). No network exposure is involved; remote exploitation is not possible without a separate initial-access vulnerability. The fabricated IOCTL flag combination is the sole trigger - no race condition, no specific application state, and no user interaction are required, keeping AC:L accurate. Exploitation is bounded by local access and the presence of the PowerVR GPU hardware and corresponding DDK version.

Impact

The CVSS 7.8 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) is well-calibrated for this vulnerability class: local execution as an unprivileged user is the only prerequisite, complexity is low because the attacker fully controls the IOCTL flag inputs, and the full C:H/I:H/A:H triad reflects the consequence of kernel heap corruption. The S:U scoring is debatable - compromising the kernel from userspace is a textbook scope-change scenario - but does not materially affect prioritization. EPSS at 0.14% (4th percentile) suggests no observed mass exploitation, though local privilege escalation bugs in GPU drivers are reliably attractive for container escape and sandbox breakout chains; even a compact operations team managing embedded or mobile deployments should treat this as urgent given the low exploitation barrier once an attacker has any code execution. The vulnerability is not in CISA KEV and no public exploit code has been identified, which moderates near-term risk. The primary gap in available data is the absence of a confirmed fixed version number - the vendor advisory page is listed but no specific patched release is called out in the source intelligence.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker with a local unprivileged shell on an affected embedded Linux or Android device writes a small program that opens the GPU device node and issues a crafted IOCTL allocation call with a flag combination designed to trigger the double-free path. When the allocation is subsequently freed, the kernel heap allocator corrupts its own metadata, which the attacker exploits via a standard heap-grooming technique to overwrite a kernel function pointer or credential structure, achieving full kernel-level code execution. No public proof-of-concept has been identified at time of analysis, but the technique is well-understood in the GPU driver exploitation literature.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 08, 2026

Kernel heap corruption in Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK enables local privilege escalation from a non-privileged user to kernel level via crafted GPU IOCTL calls. By fabricating a specific combination of flags on the GPU memory allocation interface, an attacker causes the driver to execute an incorrect double-free on the associated allocation, resulting in CWE-416-class use-after-free memory corruption in the kernel heap. CVSS 7.8 (AV:L/PR:L) accurately reflects the local-only attack surface; no public exploit has been identified at time of analysis, and EPSS at 0.14% (4th percentile) indicates low observed exploitation probability.

RemediationAI

The primary remediation is to obtain and deploy an updated Graphics DDK build from Imagination Technologies or the relevant SoC/device vendor, as driver updates are distributed through the vendor's licensing chain rather than a public package repository. Consult https://www.imaginationtech.com/gpu-driver-vulnerabilities/ for patched release identifiers once published. No exact fixed version number is confirmed in the available intelligence data. As a compensating control where patching is not immediately possible, restrict untrusted code execution on affected systems - preventing unprivileged local code execution removes the IOCTL attack surface entirely, though this is a strong constraint on multi-user or containerised environments. On Linux platforms, Seccomp-BPF profiles that allowlist only the specific IOCTL numbers required by legitimate GPU workloads can block the malicious flag-combination pathway, but building an accurate allowlist requires knowledge of the exact IOCTL interface surface. System administrators should monitor the device vendor's (Mediatek, Renesas, etc.) firmware update channels, as the fix will typically ship through SoC-vendor BSP releases rather than directly from Imagination Technologies.

Affected VersionsENISA

Graphics DDK 26.1 RTM1
Graphics DDK 24.2 RTM2
Graphics DDK 25.1 RTM2 ≤25.3 RTM

Affects your stack

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Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK is the device driver kit for PowerVR GPU cores, widely licensed to SoC vendors for embedded and mobile platforms (Mediatek, Renesas, and others). The affected CPE is cpe:2.3:a:imagination_technologies:graphics_ddk:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* spanning multiple release trains. The root cause is CWE-416 (Use-After-Free), here manifested as a double-free: the driver's GPU memory allocator accepts a flag bitmask from userspace IOCTL calls without sufficiently validating flag combinations. A maliciously crafted combination causes the allocation's reference accounting to misfire, freeing the kernel heap buffer twice. The second free corrupts the kernel heap allocator's metadata structures, which can be exploited to redirect control flow or overwrite arbitrary kernel memory, ultimately enabling privilege escalation to ring-0.

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Severity by source

Vendor (imaginationtech) PRIMARY 7.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 8.8 HIGH

Scope changes to Changed because an unprivileged user-space process achieves kernel-level code execution, crossing the kernel security boundary; all other metrics align with the provided vector.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

Primary rating from Vendor (imaginationtech).

CVSS VectorVendor: imaginationtech

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

3
CVSS changed
Sep 08, 2026 - 15:22 NVD
7.8 (HIGH)
CVE Published
Sep 04, 2026 - 01:45 cve.org
HIGH 7.8
CVE Published
Sep 04, 2026 - 01:45 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)

DescriptionCVE.org

Software installed and run as a non-privileged user may conduct improper GPU driver IOCTL calls to create an allocation scenario that when freed would cause double free and kernel heap corruption.

Scenario caused by fabricating a specific combination of flags on the allocation interface that would cause an incorrect double free event when freed.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK contains a kernel heap corruption vulnerability enabling authenticated local users to escalate privileges to kernel level; organizations using Imagination GPU hardware lack a vendor-provided patch and must implement interim controls indefinitely. The vulnerability's technical impact is severe-kernel-level code execution enabling complete system compromise-but exploitation requires local system access and existing user-level privileges, limiting exposure primarily to insider threats and multi-user systems. No public exploit has been identified, but the unpatched state necessitates proactive mitigation planning.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: restrict OS-level login access to trusted administrators; disable GPU device nodes for unprivileged users where workload permits; implement SELinux or AppArmor policies restricting GPU driver access; enable kernel audit logging on GPU IOCTL invocations to detect behavioral anomalies; isolate GPU-capable systems into separate network security zones with restricted data access; maintain separate credential management for GPU administration; escalate any GPU driver updates immediately through staged testing.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 96% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
PowerVR GPU IP licensed widely in mobile and embedded SoCs
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

39
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +39
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Use-after-free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to access memory through a pointer after that memory has been deallocated.

Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.

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