CVE-2025-58408: Imaginationtech DDK Use After Free Flaw

CVE-2025-58408 Overview

CVE-2025-58408 is a use-after-free vulnerability [CWE-416] in the Imagination Technologies DDK GPU driver. A non-privileged local user can issue improper GPU system calls that trigger reads of stale kernel data. The stale data may include handles to resources whose reference counts become unbalanced, leading to premature destruction of resources still in use. Successful exploitation can cause kernel exceptions and write use-after-free conditions in kernel memory.

Critical Impact

Local attackers running unprivileged code on devices with affected Imagination GPU drivers can corrupt kernel memory through reference-count imbalances, potentially crashing the system or enabling further privilege escalation paths.

Affected Products

• Imagination Technologies DDK (GPU Driver Development Kit)
• Devices integrating PowerVR/Imagination GPU drivers from the affected DDK release
• Downstream Android, Linux, and embedded platforms shipping the vulnerable driver

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-12-01 - CVE-2025-58408 published to NVD
• 2025-12-29 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-58408

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the kernel-mode driver component of the Imagination DDK that services GPU system calls from userspace. When a non-privileged process issues malformed or unexpected GPU ioctl sequences, the driver reads memory that has not been properly initialized or validated, returning stale data to internal logic paths. The stale values are interpreted as valid handles to GPU resources such as memory contexts, sync objects, or command buffers. Because Imagination assigned [CWE-416], the unbalanced reference counts cause an object to be released while another code path still holds a pointer to it. Subsequent writes through that pointer corrupt freed memory in kernel space.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient validation of internal state and reference counting on GPU resource handles inside the DDK kernel driver. When the driver processes attacker-controlled system call arguments, it consumes stale handle data without verifying that the referenced object is still live. The reference count is decremented based on the stale value rather than the actual object state, producing premature destruction and a dangling pointer.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access. The attacker must execute code on the target device as a normal user with permission to open the GPU device node, a capability typically granted to all applications on Android and many Linux desktops. No user interaction is required beyond running the malicious process. The attacker issues a crafted sequence of GPU system calls to trigger the stale read, then writes through the freed kernel object to corrupt adjacent memory or hijack control flow.

No public proof-of-concept code is currently available for CVE-2025-58408. See the Imagination Tech GPU Vulnerabilities advisory for vendor technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-58408

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected kernel panics or oops messages referencing the pvr or pvrsrvkm driver modules
• Userspace processes repeatedly invoking GPU ioctls on /dev/pvr_sync, /dev/dri/card*, or vendor-specific PowerVR device nodes followed by crashes
• Kernel log entries showing reference-count warnings or BUG: KASAN: use-after-free traces in GPU driver call paths

Detection Strategies

• Enable Kernel Address Sanitizer (KASAN) on test builds to surface use-after-free conditions in the DDK driver during fuzzing
• Monitor dmesg and crash reporters for repeated GPU driver faults originating from the same unprivileged UID
• Correlate GPU device node access patterns with subsequent kernel exceptions in EDR or host telemetry

Monitoring Recommendations

• Forward kernel crash logs and tombstone files from mobile and embedded fleets to a central log platform for analysis
• Track applications that open GPU device nodes outside of expected graphics or compute workloads
• Alert on processes that generate high-frequency ioctl calls to PowerVR device files followed by abnormal termination

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-58408

Immediate Actions Required

• Identify all devices and SoC platforms shipping Imagination DDK GPU drivers in your environment
• Apply vendor-supplied DDK updates as soon as the SoC integrator or OS vendor releases them
• Restrict installation of untrusted third-party applications on affected mobile and embedded devices until patches are deployed

Patch Information

Imagination Technologies has published guidance for affected DDK releases on the Imagination Tech GPU Vulnerabilities page. Patches are distributed through SoC vendors and OEMs, so device owners should track downstream firmware updates from their platform supplier. Android devices receive fixes through monthly Android Security Bulletins when the OEM integrates the corrected DDK.

Workarounds

• Limit access to GPU device nodes through SELinux or AppArmor policies where the OS distribution allows it
• Disable hardware-accelerated rendering for untrusted workloads on multi-tenant systems until patched drivers are installed
• Apply application allowlisting on embedded devices to prevent execution of untrusted local code that could reach the GPU driver

# Example: identify loaded Imagination GPU driver module on Linux
lsmod | grep -i pvr
modinfo pvrsrvkm 2>/dev/null | grep -E 'version|filename'

# Example: review recent GPU driver kernel messages
dmesg -T | grep -iE 'pvr|powervr|use-after-free'