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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2021-28663 Arm CVE debrief

CVE-2021-28663 is a use-after-free vulnerability affecting the Arm Mali Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). CISA included it in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2021-11-03, which indicates active exploitation concern and makes timely remediation important.

Vendor
Arm
Product
Mali Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
CVSS
Unknown
CISA KEV
Listed
Original CVE published
2021-11-03
Original CVE updated
2021-11-03
Advisory published
2021-11-03
Advisory updated
2021-11-03

Who should care

Organizations that deploy devices, firmware, or software stacks using Arm Mali GPUs should care, especially OEMs, mobile device administrators, embedded system operators, and teams responsible for patching GPU drivers or platform firmware.

Technical summary

The supplied sources identify the issue as a use-after-free in Arm Mali Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) components. The CVE record and CISA KEV entry do not provide additional technical specifics in the supplied corpus. Because it is listed in KEV, defenders should treat it as a vulnerability with demonstrated exploitation risk and prioritize vendor-provided updates.

Defensive priority

High. CISA added this CVE to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and set a remediation due date of 2021-11-17, so affected environments should prioritize remediation as soon as practical.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Apply updates per the vendor's instructions.
  • Identify assets and products that use Arm Mali GPU components.
  • Prioritize patching or mitigation for any exposed or internet-reachable systems using affected GPU stacks.
  • Verify remediation across OEM firmware, driver packages, and managed device fleets.
  • Track the CISA KEV due date and confirm closure of the finding in vulnerability management records.

Evidence notes

This debrief is based on the supplied CVE record and CISA KEV source item. The CVE is identified as a use-after-free in Arm Mali Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). The CISA KEV metadata states 'Apply updates per vendor instructions' and lists dateAdded as 2021-11-03 with dueDate 2021-11-17. No CVSS score was provided in the supplied data, so severity is reflected as operational priority rather than a numeric score.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2021-28663 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-28663

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2021-28663 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-28663

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

  • CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog

    Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency - Official CISA catalog of vulnerabilities known to be exploited in the wild.

Supplemental references

  • Source item URL

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json

    cisa_kev

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.