CVE-2025-10865
Published: 13 January 2026
Summary
CVE-2025-10865 is a high-severity Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability in Imaginationtech Ddk. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 5.2th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-2 (Flaw Remediation) and CM-11 (User-installed Software).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2025-10865 is a use-after-free vulnerability (CWE-416) stemming from improper reference counting on an internal resource within Imagination Technologies GPU drivers. The flaw occurs when software installed and run as a non-privileged user makes improper GPU system calls, leading to mismanagement of reference counting and a potential use-after-free condition. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and was published on 2026-01-13T18:16:04.433.
A local attacker with low privileges can exploit this vulnerability through low-complexity attacks requiring no user interaction. Exploitation enables high-impact consequences across confidentiality, integrity, and availability, such as potential arbitrary code execution, data corruption, or system crashes.
Mitigation details are available in the vendor advisory at https://www.imaginationtech.com/gpu-driver-vulnerabilities/.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-2195
Vulnerability details
Software installed and run as a non-privileged user may conduct improper GPU system calls to cause mismanagement of reference counting to cause a potential use after free. Improper reference counting on an internal resource caused scenario where potential for use…
more
after free was present.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Local use-after-free in GPU driver directly enables privilege escalation via arbitrary code execution from low-privileged context.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Directly remediates the improper reference counting flaw in Imagination Technologies GPU drivers, eliminating the use-after-free vulnerability via vendor patches.
Implements memory protection mechanisms that mitigate exploitation of the use-after-free condition triggered by mismanaged GPU reference counting.
Restricts user-installed software running as non-privileged users from conducting improper GPU system calls that lead to reference counting mismanagement.