The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-0015 is classified as a Use After Free vulnerability affecting the Arm Ltd Valhall GPU Kernel Driver and the Arm 5th Gen GPU Architecture Kernel Driver. This vulnerability allows a local non-privileged user process to perform improper GPU processing operations, potentially gaining access to previously freed memory. The risk associated with this vulnerability is significant due to its high CVSS score of 7.8, indicating high severity.
Organizations using affected versions of the Valhall GPU Kernel Driver (from r48p0 through r49p1 and from r50p0 through r52p0) and the Arm 5th Gen GPU Architecture Kernel Driver (from r48p0 through r49p1 and from r50p0 through r52p0) should prioritize remediation to mitigate the risk of exploitation. The potential for exploitation is exacerbated by the local attack vector and low attack complexity.
Given the exploitation status, organizations should act swiftly as this vulnerability poses a risk that can lead to unauthorized access and manipulation of sensitive data.
Organizations should prioritize patching immediately.
Vulnerability Details
The CVE-2025-0015 vulnerability is rooted in the improper management of freed memory within the GPU Kernel Driver. The attack vector is local, requiring low privileges to exploit, and does not require user interaction. This vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS version of 3.1 with a vector string of 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H', indicating that exploitation can lead to high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts.
The affected products include the 5th Gen GPU Architecture Kernel Driver and the Valhall GPU Kernel Driver. The vulnerability has a CWE classification of CWE-416, which corresponds to Use After Free vulnerabilities.
Technical Analysis
The root cause of CVE-2025-0015 lies in the improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation within the GPU Kernel. When memory is freed but still accessible, attackers may manipulate or read sensitive data, leading to potential system instability or data breaches. This vulnerability is particularly concerning due to its local attack vector, which allows non-privileged users to execute the exploit without needing elevated permissions.
The attack complexity is considered low, meaning that the exploit can be easily executed by attackers with limited technical skills. Since no user interaction is required, the risk of exploitation remains high. The impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability are all classified as high, indicating that the consequences of a successful attack could be severe.
Risk & Impact Analysis
The real-world deployment of CVE-2025-0015 poses significant risks to organizations utilizing the affected GPU drivers. Given the high CVSS score of 7.8, organizations should be particularly vigilant about potential exploits that could lead to unauthorized access and data manipulation. The blast radius for this vulnerability is considerable, as it can affect any local non-privileged user with access to the system.
Organizations should assess the urgency of remediation based on their specific environments and user access levels. The exploitation potential, combined with the impacts on confidentiality and integrity, necessitates immediate attention to patch the vulnerability.
Signal | Status |
|---|---|
Known Exploit | No |
Public PoC | No |
Actively Exploited | No |
Ransomware Use | No |
Affected Versions
The affected versions for this vulnerability include the Arm 5th Gen GPU Architecture Kernel Driver from r48p0 to r49p1 and from r50p0 to r52p0, as well as the Valhall GPU Kernel Driver from r48p0 to r49p1 and from r50p0 to r52p0. Organizations should ensure that they are not using these vulnerable versions.
Mitigation & Remediation
To mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2025-0015, organizations should apply patches provided by Arm for the affected GPU drivers. If immediate patching is not feasible, consider implementing workarounds such as restricting access to the affected systems or disabling certain GPU functionalities until a patch can be applied.
For a more comprehensive security posture, organizations should engage in continuous security testing to validate the effectiveness of applied mitigations. This can be achieved through continuous security testing that exercises the patched code path.
Detection Guidance
To detect potential exploitation of CVE-2025-0015, organizations should monitor logs for any unusual GPU processing errors or access attempts to freed memory. Behavioral anomalies in system operations may indicate attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Additionally, organizations should implement network signatures that alert on suspicious access patterns related to GPU operations.
AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight
The significance of CVE-2025-0015 underscores the critical need for robust vulnerability management programs within organizations utilizing GPU technologies. As attackers increasingly target hardware vulnerabilities, security teams must remain vigilant and proactive in applying security updates and conducting regular assessments.
This vulnerability represents a broader trend of local privilege escalation risks stemming from improper memory management in kernel-level components. Security teams should consider implementing more stringent code review and testing practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future releases.
For further insights into managing vulnerabilities and improving security practices, organizations are encouraged to explore resources on vulnerability management programs, and consider engaging in penetration testing methodologies to identify and address vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
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