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Global vulnerability Multiple sectors CRITICAL 27m Global vulnerability Information Technology / Software Infrastructure CRITICAL 29m Global data_breach Healthcare CRITICAL 45m Global data_breach Mobile Technology / Consumer Electronics HIGH 1h Global ransomware Cybersecurity Services / Multiple Sectors CRITICAL 1h Global apt Cryptocurrency and Blockchain CRITICAL 1h Global malware Financial Services, Mobile Payments HIGH 2h Global vulnerability Government and Critical Infrastructure CRITICAL 5h Global apt Cryptocurrency and Blockchain CRITICAL 13h Global malware Financial Services / Cryptocurrency CRITICAL 13h Global vulnerability Multiple sectors CRITICAL 27m Global vulnerability Information Technology / Software Infrastructure CRITICAL 29m Global data_breach Healthcare CRITICAL 45m Global data_breach Mobile Technology / Consumer Electronics HIGH 1h Global ransomware Cybersecurity Services / Multiple Sectors CRITICAL 1h Global apt Cryptocurrency and Blockchain CRITICAL 1h Global malware Financial Services, Mobile Payments HIGH 2h Global vulnerability Government and Critical Infrastructure CRITICAL 5h Global apt Cryptocurrency and Blockchain CRITICAL 13h Global malware Financial Services / Cryptocurrency CRITICAL 13h Global vulnerability Multiple sectors CRITICAL 27m Global vulnerability Information Technology / Software Infrastructure CRITICAL 29m Global data_breach Healthcare CRITICAL 45m Global data_breach Mobile Technology / Consumer Electronics HIGH 1h Global ransomware Cybersecurity Services / Multiple Sectors CRITICAL 1h Global apt Cryptocurrency and Blockchain CRITICAL 1h Global malware Financial Services, Mobile Payments HIGH 2h Global vulnerability Government and Critical Infrastructure CRITICAL 5h Global apt Cryptocurrency and Blockchain CRITICAL 13h Global malware Financial Services / Cryptocurrency CRITICAL 13h
Vulnerabilities

CVE-2021-29256

Critical 🇺🇸 CISA KEV ⚡ Exploit Available
Arm Mali GPU Kernel Driver Use-After-Free Vulnerability — Arm Mali GPU Kernel Driver contains a use-after-free vulnerability that may allow a non-privileged user to gain root privilege and/or disclose
Published: Jul 7, 2023  ·  Source: CISA_KEV
CVSS v3
9.0
🔗 NVD Official
📄 Description (English)

Arm Mali GPU Kernel Driver Use-After-Free Vulnerability — Arm Mali GPU Kernel Driver contains a use-after-free vulnerability that may allow a non-privileged user to gain root privilege and/or disclose information.

🤖 AI Executive Summary

CVE-2021-29256 is a critical use-after-free vulnerability in Arm Mali GPU Kernel Driver affecting multiple device platforms. An unprivileged user can exploit this flaw to achieve privilege escalation to root level and/or leak sensitive kernel information. With CVSS 9.0 and publicly available exploits, this poses an immediate threat to all Saudi organizations deploying Mali GPU-based devices, particularly in mobile infrastructure and IoT deployments.

📄 Description (Arabic)

🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 20, 2026 13:14
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability critically impacts Saudi telecommunications sector (STC, Mobily, Zain) through compromised mobile devices and network infrastructure. Banking sector (SAMA-regulated institutions) faces risk through mobile banking applications and employee devices. Government agencies (NCA, NCSC) are exposed through mobile device deployments. Healthcare sector (MOH) risks patient data exposure through hospital mobile systems. Energy sector (ARAMCO, SEC) faces potential SCADA/ICS compromise if Mali GPUs are integrated in industrial control systems. Critical impact on Saudi Arabia's digital infrastructure due to widespread Mali GPU adoption in consumer and enterprise Android devices.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Telecommunications (STC, Mobily, Zain) Banking and Financial Services (SAMA-regulated) Government and Public Administration (NCA, NCSC) Healthcare (Ministry of Health) Energy and Utilities (ARAMCO, SEC) Education Retail and E-commerce Manufacturing and Industrial Control Systems
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
9.2
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Identify all devices using Arm Mali GPU drivers in your environment (primarily Android devices, embedded systems, IoT devices)
2. Isolate affected devices from critical networks if patching cannot be completed within 48 hours
3. Disable GPU acceleration on critical systems temporarily if feasible

PATCHING GUIDANCE:
1. Apply latest Arm Mali GPU driver patches from device manufacturers (Samsung, Qualcomm, MediaTek, etc.)
2. For Android devices: Update to latest security patch level (check device manufacturer security bulletins)
3. For enterprise devices: Deploy Mobile Device Management (MDM) policies to enforce driver updates
4. Verify patch application through kernel version verification commands

COMPENSATING CONTROLS:
1. Implement strict application whitelisting to prevent execution of untrusted code
2. Enable SELinux in enforcing mode on Android devices
3. Restrict physical access to affected devices
4. Monitor for suspicious privilege escalation attempts in kernel logs
5. Implement network segmentation to limit lateral movement from compromised devices

DETECTION RULES:
1. Monitor for unexpected root process spawning from GPU-related processes
2. Alert on kernel memory access patterns from unprivileged processes
3. Track failed GPU driver initialization attempts
4. Monitor /dev/mali* device access from non-privileged users
5. Implement EDR solutions to detect privilege escalation chains originating from GPU drivers
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحديد جميع الأجهزة التي تستخدم برامج تشغيل Arm Mali GPU في بيئتك (بشكل أساسي أجهزة Android والأنظمة المدمجة وأجهزة IoT)
2. عزل الأجهزة المتأثرة عن الشبكات الحرجة إذا لم يتمكن من إكمال التصحيح في غضون 48 ساعة
3. تعطيل تسريع GPU على الأنظمة الحرجة مؤقتًا إن أمكن

إرشادات التصحيح:
1. تطبيق أحدث تصحيحات برنامج تشغيل Arm Mali GPU من مصنعي الأجهزة (Samsung و Qualcomm و MediaTek وغيرها)
2. لأجهزة Android: التحديث إلى أحدث مستوى تصحيح أمان (تحقق من نشرات أمان مصنع الجهاز)
3. للأجهزة الموجهة للمؤسسات: نشر سياسات إدارة الأجهزة المحمولة لفرض تحديثات برامج التشغيل
4. التحقق من تطبيق التصحيح من خلال أوامر التحقق من إصدار النواة

الضوابط البديلة:
1. تنفيذ قائمة بيضاء صارمة للتطبيقات لمنع تنفيذ الكود غير الموثوق
2. تفعيل SELinux في وضع الفرض على أجهزة Android
3. تقييد الوصول المادي إلى الأجهزة المتأثرة
4. مراقبة محاولات تصعيد الامتيازات المريبة في سجلات النواة
5. تنفيذ تقسيم الشبكة لتحديد الحركة الجانبية من الأجهزة المخترقة

قواعد الكشف:
1. مراقبة عمليات الجذر غير المتوقعة من عمليات GPU
2. تنبيه على أنماط الوصول إلى ذاكرة النواة من العمليات غير المميزة
3. تتبع محاولات تهيئة برنامج تشغيل GPU الفاشلة
4. مراقبة الوصول إلى جهاز /dev/mali* من المستخدمين غير المميزين
5. تنفيذ حلول EDR للكشف عن سلاسل تصعيد الامتيازات من برامج تشغيل GPU
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.5.1.1 - Access Control Policies (privilege escalation prevention) ECC 2024 A.5.2.1 - User Registration and De-registration ECC 2024 A.5.3.1 - Management of Privileged Access Rights ECC 2024 A.8.1.1 - User Endpoint Devices (mobile device security) ECC 2024 A.8.2.1 - Privileged Access Rights (kernel-level access control)
🔵 SAMA CSF
SAMA CSF ID.AM-2 - Hardware and Software Inventory (device tracking) SAMA CSF PR.AC-1 - Access Control Policy (privilege management) SAMA CSF PR.AC-4 - Access Rights Management (kernel access controls) SAMA CSF DE.CM-1 - System Monitoring (GPU driver monitoring) SAMA CSF RS.MI-2 - Incident Response (privilege escalation detection)
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
ISO 27001:2022 A.5.3 - Segregation of duties (privilege separation) ISO 27001:2022 A.8.1 - User endpoint devices (mobile device management) ISO 27001:2022 A.8.2 - Privileged access rights (kernel access control) ISO 27001:2022 A.8.3 - Information access restriction (memory access controls) ISO 27001:2022 A.8.6 - Access control for change management (patch management)
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0
PCI DSS 2.2.4 - Configure system security parameters (kernel hardening) PCI DSS 6.2 - Security patches (timely patching of GPU drivers) PCI DSS 8.1 - User identification and authentication (privilege escalation prevention)
🔗 References & Sources 0
No references.
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
Arm:Mali Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
📊 CVSS Score
9.0
/ 10.0 — Critical
📋 Quick Facts
Severity Critical
CVSS Score9.0
EPSS0.64%
Exploit ✓ Yes
Patch ✓ Yes
CISA KEV🇺🇸 Yes
KEV Due Date2023-07-28
Published 2023-07-07
Source Feed cisa_kev
Views 1
🇸🇦 Saudi Risk Score
9.2
/ 10.0 — Saudi Risk
Priority: CRITICAL
🏷️ Tags
kev actively-exploited
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