CVE-2025-10865

High

Published: 13 January 2026

Published

13 January 2026

Modified

30 January 2026

KEV Added

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Patch

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CVSS Score 7.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Score 0.0002 5.4th percentile

Risk Priority 16 60% EPSS · 20% KEV · 20% CVSS

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 5.4th 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).

Threat & Defense at a Glance

What attackers do: exploitation maps to Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068). What defenders deploy: see the NIST 800-53 controls recommended below.

Threat & Defense Details

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match

prevent

Directly remediates the improper reference counting flaw in Imagination Technologies GPU drivers, eliminating the use-after-free vulnerability via vendor patches.

SI-16 Memory Protection partial match

prevent

Implements memory protection mechanisms that mitigate exploitation of the use-after-free condition triggered by mismanaged GPU reference counting.

CM-11 User-installed Software partial match

prevent

Restricts user-installed software running as non-privileged users from conducting improper GPU system calls that lead to reference counting mismanagement.

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation

Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.

attack.mitre.org →

Why these techniques?

Local use-after-free in GPU driver directly enables privilege escalation via arbitrary code execution from low-privileged context.

Confidence: HIGH · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v18.1

NVD Description

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…

after free was present.

Deeper analysisAI

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/.