AMD EPYC™ 9004 Series Processors: Improper Access Control for Volatile Memory Containing Boot Code
CVE-2025-29950 is a high-severity improper access control for volatile memory containing boot code vulnerability in AMD EPYC™ 9004 Series Processors from AMD, with a CVSS 4.0 base score of 7.1 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with administrator privileges, without any action from a user. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.16% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of AMD EPYC™ 9004 Series Processors you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
Affected products and versions
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
- Attack complexity
- HighSuccess depends on conditions outside the attacker's control.
- Attack requirements
- NoneThe attack does not depend on a particular deployment or configuration.
- Privileges required
- HighAdministrator-level access is required first.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Confidentiality (vulnerable system)
- HighSerious loss of confidentiality on the vulnerable system.
- Integrity (vulnerable system)
- HighSerious loss of integrity on the vulnerable system.
- Availability (vulnerable system)
- HighSerious loss of availability on the vulnerable system.
- Confidentiality (other systems)
- NoneNo loss of confidentiality on systems beyond the vulnerable one.
- Integrity (other systems)
- NoneNo loss of integrity on systems beyond the vulnerable one.
- Availability (other systems)
- NoneNo loss of availability on systems beyond the vulnerable one.
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X. Scored by CNA (amd.com).
Official description
Improper input validation in system management mode (SMM) could allow a privileged attacker to overwrite stack memory leading to arbitrary code execution.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Access Control for Volatile Memory Containing Boot Code
The product conducts a secure-boot process that transfers bootloader code from Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) into Volatile Memory (VM), but it does not have sufficient access control or other protections for the Volatile Memory.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Ensure that the design of volatile-memory protections is enough to prevent modification from an adversary or untrusted code.
- Test the volatile-memory protections to ensure they are safe from modification or untrusted code.
More Improper Access Control for Volatile Memory Containing Boot Code vulnerabilities (CWE-1274)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Other references
Other vulnerabilities in AMD EPYC™ 9004 Series Processors
- 7.0 High severity
- 8.5 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
- 8.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.3 High severity
Recent Improper Access Control for Volatile Memory Containing Boot Code vulnerabilities
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
Spotted an error? Tell us.