Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2021-28664 is a high-severity Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787) vulnerability in Arm Bifrost Gpu Kernel Driver. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 8% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
The vulnerability is a flaw in the Arm Mali GPU kernel driver that permits an unprivileged user to obtain read/write access to read-only memory pages, resulting in memory corruption. This affects Bifrost GPUs from r0p0 through r29p0 (fixed in r30p0), Valhall GPUs from r19p0 through r29p0 (fixed in r30p0), and Midgard GPUs from r8p0 through r30p0 (fixed in r31p0). The issue is tracked as CWE-787 and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8.
An attacker with local access to a system using an affected Mali GPU driver can exploit the flaw to escalate privileges or trigger a denial of service. The kernel-level nature of the driver allows the corruption to impact system stability or enable further code execution within the kernel context.
Arm security advisories direct users to updated Mali GPU kernel driver releases that resolve the issue across the listed GPU families. The referenced Arm developer pages provide links to the specific security updates and vulnerability disclosures for the Mali driver.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2021-15328
Vulnerability Data
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…
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r30p0, and Midgard r8p0 through r30p0 before r31p0.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 03 November 2021
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Out-of-bounds writes that corrupt control flow or inject shellcode are rendered non-executable by the same memory protections.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure-development practices (static analysis, bounds checking, code review) are the primary means of preventing out-of-bounds writes.
Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover out-of-bounds write flaws so they can be remediated.
Patching or replacing vulnerable software directly eliminates known instances of this coding weakness.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development and acceptance can detect and prevent out-of-bounds write defects.
Secure development life cycle mandates practices that prevent out-of-bounds writes.
Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and safe memory handling.
Secure architecture and engineering principles reduce the likelihood of buffer overflows.
Secure coding directly addresses out-of-bounds writes through language choice and coding standards.
Change management can enforce review gates that catch unsafe memory operations before deployment.