CVE-2026-22165: WebGPU Use-After-Free Vulnerability

CVE-2026-22165 Overview

CVE-2026-22165 is a use-after-free [CWE-416] vulnerability in the GPU GLES user-space shared library. A web page containing crafted WebGPU content loaded into the GPU GLES render process can trigger a write use-after-free crash. On platforms where the graphics workload process runs with system privileges, the flaw can enable further device-level exploitation.

The issue is documented in the Imagination Technologies Driver Vulnerabilities advisory. The attack vector is network-based, requires low privileges, and needs no user interaction beyond visiting a malicious page.

Critical Impact

A successful write use-after-free in the GPU GLES library can corrupt memory in a system-privileged graphics process, providing a stepping stone to broader device compromise.

Affected Products

• Imagination Technologies GPU drivers exposing GLES user-space shared library
• Devices using affected PowerVR / Imagination GPU GLES render stack
• Systems where the GPU graphics workload process runs with system privileges

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-05-01 - CVE-2026-22165 published to NVD
• 2026-05-06 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-22165

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a write use-after-free in the GPU GLES user-space shared library. The render process accepts WebGPU command streams from a browsing context. When the page submits unusual WebGPU content, an object inside the GLES library is freed while a writable reference to it remains live. A subsequent write through the stale pointer corrupts memory the allocator has reassigned.

Use-after-free conditions in graphics drivers are useful primitives for attackers. The freed slot can be reclaimed with attacker-controlled data through additional GPU resource allocations. Writing through the dangling pointer then overwrites adjacent metadata or function pointers.

Because the GPU GLES render process is reachable from any web page using WebGPU, the attack surface extends to drive-by browser content. The integrity and availability impact is high, while confidentiality impact is rated none in the advisory scoring.

Root Cause

The root cause is incorrect lifetime management of an object referenced by GLES rendering state when processing atypical WebGPU draw or resource commands. The library frees backing memory while a code path continues to issue writes to that memory.

Attack Vector

A remote attacker hosts a web page with crafted WebGPU shaders or command sequences. When a victim using a vulnerable browser on an affected GPU driver loads the page, the WebGPU content is dispatched to the GPU GLES render process. The malformed sequence triggers the free-then-write pattern in the shared library. On platforms where this process holds system privileges, the resulting memory corruption can be chained into privilege escalation or device-level code execution.

No verified public exploit code is available. Refer to the Imagination Technologies advisory for vendor technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-22165

Indicators of Compromise

• Repeated crashes or restarts of the GPU GLES render process correlated with browser activity
• Unexpected child processes spawned from the graphics service or browser GPU sandbox
• Anomalous writes to memory regions backing GLES driver objects observed in crash dumps
• Browser tabs originating from untrusted domains immediately preceding GPU process faults

Detection Strategies

• Monitor operating system crash telemetry for faults in the GPU GLES user-space library and correlate with the loaded browser tab origin
• Hunt for browser child processes that perform unexpected file, network, or privilege operations after WebGPU usage
• Inspect WebGPU traffic patterns at proxy or browser telemetry layers for unusually large or malformed command buffers from untrusted origins

Monitoring Recommendations

• Centralize endpoint crash reports and graphics driver logs into a SIEM for correlation across the fleet
• Alert on post-crash behavioral chains such as system-privilege process creation following a GPU render fault
• Track browser and GPU driver versions across managed devices to identify unpatched hosts

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-22165

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the GPU driver update referenced in the Imagination Technologies advisory as soon as it is available for your platform
• Update browsers to the latest version that incorporates upstream WebGPU and GPU process hardening
• Inventory devices using Imagination / PowerVR GPU drivers and prioritize patch deployment on systems where the graphics process runs with system privileges

Patch Information

Consult the Imagination Technologies Driver Vulnerabilities page for the fixed driver versions and integrator guidance. Device manufacturers must ship the updated driver through their normal firmware or OS update channel.

Workarounds

• Disable WebGPU in managed browsers until the driver patch is deployed, using enterprise browser policy controls
• Restrict navigation to untrusted sites on devices that cannot receive a timely driver update
• Where supported, run the GPU graphics workload under a reduced-privilege account rather than as a system-privileged process

# Example: disable WebGPU via Chromium enterprise policy on Linux
cat <<'EOF' | sudo tee /etc/chromium/policies/managed/disable-webgpu.json
{
  "DefaultWebGpuSetting": 2,
  "WebGpuEnabled": false
}
EOF