EUVD-2026-36630
GHSA-xvxw-65r3-5rcf
Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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ReconGain local unprivileged code execution
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DeliveryOpen GPU device node
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ExploitIssue crafted alloc/free GPU syscalls
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InstallTrigger use-after-free on physical pages
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C2Reuse freed pages via GPU DMA
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ExecuteOverwrite kernel structures
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ImpactEscalate to root/kernel
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 | Attacker must already be able to execute code as an unprivileged local user on a device running an affected Imagination Graphics DDK (25.1 RTM through 25.3 RTM, or 26.1 RTM) and must have access to the PowerVR GPU device node to issue GPU system calls - typically granted to any normal Android app or any local user account on Linux/embedded systems with the driver loaded. No special non-default configuration is required beyond the driver being installed and the GPU exposed to userspace, and no user interaction is needed once code runs (UI:N). Exploitation is limited to systems actually shipping the affected Imagination DDK (PowerVR-based Android handsets, automotive, set-top, and embedded SoCs); devices using Mali, Adreno, or other GPU stacks are not in scope, and environments that deny GPU device access to untrusted processes via SELinux/MAC effectively block the primitive. |
| Impact | The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) correctly characterizes this as a local, low-complexity, low-privilege flaw with high impact across the CIA triad - a classic local privilege escalation primitive. EPSS is extremely low at 0.02% (5th percentile) and the issue is not on CISA KEV, with no public exploit identified at time of analysis, so mass exploitation is unlikely in the immediate term. However, raw EPSS understates risk here: GPU UAF bugs in mobile drivers (Mali, Adreno, PowerVR) have a strong track record of being weaponized for Android sandbox escapes and root, and Imagination GPUs ship in large fleets of Android and embedded devices, so targeted exploitation by commercial spyware or capable threat actors is plausible. Treat as a high-priority patch for any Android/embedded fleet shipping PowerVR GPUs, while accepting that opportunistic mass exploitation is not the dominant scenario today. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker convinces a victim to install a malicious app (or compromises a low-privilege process on an embedded device with a PowerVR GPU), then issues crafted GPU system calls that allocate and free physical pages without deferred-free, while keeping GPU page-table entries pointing at those addresses. As the kernel reuses the freed pages for sensitive structures (credentials, page tables, kernel code), the attacker uses the GPU as a DMA primitive to read or overwrite them, escalating to root/kernel privileges. No public exploit is identified at this time, but the primitive is consistent with prior weaponized GPU UAFs on mobile platforms. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jun 15, 2026
Local privilege escalation in Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK (GPU kernel driver) allows non-privileged users to issue crafted GPU system calls that perform read/write operations on arbitrary freed physical memory pages, enabling kernel memory corruption. The flaw stems from missing deferred-free handling, meaning the GPU can still access pages after the kernel module has released them. No public exploit identified at time of analysis and EPSS is very low (0.02%), but CVSS 7.8 reflects high local impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
RemediationAI
Upstream fix available per Imagination's GPU driver vulnerabilities advisory at https://www.imaginationtech.com/gpu-driver-vulnerabilities/; a specific patched DDK release version is not independently confirmed from the provided data, so administrators should consult that advisory and their SoC/OEM (e.g., MediaTek, Renesas, automotive Tier 1, or handset vendor) for the corresponding firmware/OS update that integrates the fixed DDK. For fleets that cannot patch immediately, the most effective compensating control is to restrict installation of untrusted local applications on affected devices - e.g., enforce managed app stores and disable sideloading on Android, since the bug requires local code execution to issue GPU system calls; this trades off user/developer flexibility. Where supported, SELinux/MAC profiles that deny GPU device node access (e.g., /dev/pvr* or equivalent render node) to untrusted_app domains can reduce attack surface, but will break any application that legitimately uses GPU compute or accelerated rendering, so test carefully before broad rollout.
Affected VersionsENISA
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Technical ContextAI · show details
Imagination Technologies' Graphics DDK is the kernel-mode driver and userspace stack powering PowerVR/IMG GPUs found in many Android devices, embedded SoCs, and automotive platforms. The driver exposes ioctl/system-call interfaces that let userspace processes program the GPU's memory management. The root cause is CWE-416 (Use After Free): physical pages are allocated for GPU use and freed back to the kernel without going through a deferred-free path that would ensure the GPU's MMU/page tables no longer reference them. Because the GPU can continue to DMA against those physical addresses after the kernel reuses them for unrelated allocations, an unprivileged process controlling GPU jobs gains an arbitrary physical read/write primitive against kernel memory.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local attacker with any unprivileged account can reliably trigger a kernel UAF via GPU syscalls, yielding full kernel read/write and thus high C/I/A with no user interaction.
Primary rating from Vendor (imaginationtech).
CVSS VectorVendor: imaginationtech
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Software installed and run as a non-privileged user may conduct GPU system calls to write to arbitrary freed physical pages.
Physical memory allocated and freed, without the deferred free mechanism can lead to those resources being used for read/write by the GPU after the kernel module has freed the resource.
Executive ViewAI
The Imagination Technologies Graphics DDK (GPU kernel driver) contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2026-41158, CVSS 7.8) that allows non-privileged users to corrupt kernel memory through crafted GPU system calls, potentially compromising system confidentiality, integrity, and availability. This affects organizations with systems running the affected GPU driver, particularly in high-performance computing and graphics-intensive environments. While no public exploit has been identified and the vulnerability requires local system access, the severity warrants immediate inventory and mitigation planning given the absence of available patches.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: (1) restrict local system access through privileged account controls and OS hardening, (2) implement mandatory access controls (MAC/AppArmor) limiting GPU driver access to trusted applications only, (3) deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) to monitor GPU driver anomalies and privilege escalation attempts, (4) disable GPU features not required for business operations, (5) enforce application whitelisting to limit GPU system call sources.
Threat Intelligence Overview
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
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.
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
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