CVE-2021-29256 — Arm Mali GPU Kernel Driver Use-After-Free Vulnerability

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

CISA required action CISA

Apply updates per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if updates are unavailable.

US federal deadline: Jul 28, 2023 — passed 1175 day(s) ago

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Arm Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver, Arm Midgard GPU Kernel Driver, Arm Valhall GPU Kernel Driver).
2. Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
3. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
4. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (memory corruption), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-416 · Use After Free

Other CVEs with this weakness →

CISA KEV details CISA

CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.

CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 12, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 2.99%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

• Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
• Correlate service crashes/restarts with inbound traffic; repeated crashes may indicate attempts.
• Hunt retroactively in logs from before Jul 7, 2023 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

• 2026
• SSVC assessment updated
  Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• Record published
  Oct 13, 2026
• Affected products added · arm/bifrost gpu kernel driver, arm/midgard gpu kernel driver, arm/valhall gpu kernel driver
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• CVSS changed · 8.8
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• Source status changed · → Analyzed
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• Added to CISA KEV (detected)
  Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
• Record created in this database
  Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
• 2023
• Added to CISA KEV catalog
  Jul 6, 2023 · CISA
• 2021
• CVE published
  May 24, 2021 · mitre

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

• 2× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
• 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

4 on the record

• developer.arm.com/support/arm-security-updates/mali-gpu-kernel-driver
  Vendor Advisory, x_refsource_CONFIRM, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
  US Government Resource, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• github.com/advisories/GHSA-gm4q-9jx5-3gfv
  GitHub Security Advisories
• nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-29256
  GitHub Security Advisories

Elsewhere on this site

Related CVEs (same products)

• High CVE-2026-9040 Mali GPU Kernel Driver allows denial of service or disclosure of sensitive information Sep 8, 2026
• High CVE-2026-7476 Mali GPU Kernel Driver allows access to already freed memory Sep 8, 2026
• High CVE-2026-7477 Mali GPU Kernel Driver allows access to already freed memory Sep 8, 2026
• High CVE-2026-5729 Mali GPU Kernel Driver allows access to already freed memory Sep 8, 2026
• Medium CVE-2026-12387 Mali GPU Kernel Driver allows access to already freed memory Sep 8, 2026
• Medium CVE-2026-12285 Mali GPU Kernel Driver allows access to already freed memory Sep 8, 2026

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

• No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
• No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
• No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
• No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2021-29256 is "Arm Mali GPU Kernel Driver Use-After-Free Vulnerability", rated High. It affects Bifrost GPU Kernel Driver (Arm); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 8.8 describes technical severity. EPSS 2.99% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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