adreno-a7xx-exploitation

name

adreno-a7xx-exploitation

description

How to exploit CVE-2025-21479 on Qualcomm Adreno A7xx GPUs to achieve kernel R/W via GPU SMMU takeover. Use this skill whenever the user mentions Adreno A7xx, GPU SMMU exploitation, SDS privilege bypass, kernel physical memory access, or wants to understand/reproduce the CVE-2025-21479 vulnerability chain. Also use when discussing GPU microcode bugs, IB level masking issues, or dirty pagetable pivots on Android devices with Snapdragon chipsets.

Adreno A7xx SDS→RB Privilege Bypass Exploitation

This skill guides you through exploiting CVE-2025-21479 on Qualcomm Adreno A7xx GPUs to achieve arbitrary kernel memory read/write via GPU SMMU takeover and dirty pagetable pivot.

Vulnerability Overview

CVE-2025-21479: A microcode logic bug in Adreno A7xx firmware where register $12 (IB level tracker) is masked with 0x3 instead of 0x7, causing Set Draw State (SDS) at IB4 to be misidentified as IB0 (kernel ringbuffer), allowing privileged CP packets from user-controlled SDS.

Key Facts

Aspect	Details
Affected	Qualcomm Adreno A7xx GPU firmware (pre-fix)
Primitive	Execute privileged CP packets from SDS
Outcome	Arbitrary kernel physical/virtual R/W, SELinux disable, root
Prerequisite	KGSL GPU context creation (normal app capability)
Devices	Samsung S23 and other Snapdragon A7xx devices

IB Level Masking Bug

The kernel maintains a ringbuffer (RB=IB0). Userspace submits IB1 via CP_INDIRECT_BUFFER, chaining to IB2/IB3. SDS is a special command stream:

• A6xx: SDS treated as IB3
• A7xx: SDS moved to IB4

Microcode tracks current IB level in register $12 and gates privileged packets to IB0 only. The bug:

A6XX                | A7XX
RB  & 3       == 0  |  RB  & 3       == 0
IB1 & 3       == 1  |  IB1 & 3       == 1
IB2 & 3       == 2  |  IB2 & 3       == 2
IB3 (SDS) & 3 == 3  |  IB3 & 3       == 3
                    |  IB4 (SDS) & 3 == 0   <-- misread as IB0!

Fix: Mask changed from 0x3 to 0x7 in microcode.

Exploitation Chain

Phase 1: GPU SMMU Takeover

1. Spray fake GPU pagetable into shared memory (allocator grooming)
2. Enter SDS and execute privileged packets:
   • CP_SMMU_TABLE_UPDATE → switch to fake pagetable
   • CP_MEM_WRITE / CP_MEM_TO_MEM → implement R/W primitives
   • CP_SET_DRAW_STATE with run-now flags

Phase 2: Physical Memory R/W Primitives

Using the fake pagetable:

• Write: CP_MEM_WRITE to attacker-chosen GPU VA mapped to target PA
• Read: CP_MEM_TO_MEM copies 4/8 bytes from target PA to userspace buffer

Phase 3: Find Kernel Physical Base (Samsung KASLR)

Samsung randomizes kernel physical base within known region. Brute-force for _stext signature:

while (!ctx->kernel.pbase) {
  offset += 0x8000;
  uint64_t d1 = kernel_physread_u64(ctx, base + offset);
  if (d1 != 0xd10203ffd503233f) continue;   // first 8 bytes of _stext
  uint64_t d2 = kernel_physread_u64(ctx, base + offset + 8);
  if (d2 == 0x910083fda9027bfd) {           // second 8 bytes
    ctx->kernel.pbase = base + offset - 0x10000;
    break;
  }
}

Compute kernel virtual via linear map:

_stext = 0xffffffc008000000 + (Kernel Code & ~0xa8000000)

Phase 4: Dirty Pagetable Pivot (Fast CPU-side R/W)

GPU R/W is slow. Pivot to fast primitive by corrupting process PTEs:

1. Locate task_struct → mm_struct → mm_struct->pgd using GPU R/W
2. mmap two adjacent userspace pages A and B (e.g., at 0x1000)
3. Walk PGD→PMD→PTE to resolve A/B's PTE physical addresses
4. Overwrite B's PTE to point to last-level pagetable managing A/B with RW attributes
5. Write via B's VA to mutate A's PTE to map target PFNs
6. Read/write kernel memory via A's VA, flushing TLB until sentinel flips

Implementation Helpers

Use the bundled scripts for common tasks:

• scripts/generate_sds_commands.py - Build SDS command sequences
• scripts/find_kernel_physbase.py - Brute-force kernel physical base
• scripts/dirty_pagetable_pivot.py - Template for dirty pagetable technique

Detection & Mitigation

Detection

• Alert if CP_SMMU_TABLE_UPDATE appears outside RB/IB0, especially in SDS
• Monitor anomalous bursts of 4/8-byte CP_MEM_TO_MEM
• Watch for excessive TLB flush patterns

Mitigation

• Update GPU microcode to use 0x7 mask for register $12
• Validate IB level before accepting privileged CP packets
• Monitor GPU command submission for SDS privilege escalation attempts

Important Notes

• Excessive GPU traffic can cause UI blackouts and reboots
• Reads are small (4/8 bytes) and sync is slow by default
• Each Android process gets a KGSL context (IOCTL_KGSL_GPU_CONTEXT_CREATE)
• Firmware variations exist - use freedreno's afuc/packet docs for exact encodings

References

• CVE-2025-21479 Details
• Mesa freedreno afuc disassembler
• Google Project Zero: Attacking Qualcomm Adreno GPU
• Dirty pagetable technique