AMD EPYC™ 9004 Series Processors: Security-Sensitive Hardware Controls with Missing Lock Bit Protection
CVE-2025-61972 is a high-severity security-sensitive hardware controls with missing lock bit protection vulnerability in AMD EPYC™ 9004 Series Processors from AMD, with a CVSS 4.0 base score of 8.5 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 0.13% 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
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMD | AMD EPYC™ 9004 Series Processors | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| AMD | AMD EPYC™ 9005 Series Processors | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| AMD | AMD EPYC™ 8004 Series Processors | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| AMD | AMD EPYC™ Embedded 9004 Series Processors (formerly codenamed "Genoa") | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| AMD | AMD EPYC™ Embedded 9004 Series Processors (formerly codenamed "Bergamo") | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| AMD | AMD EPYC™ Embedded 8004 Series Processors | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| AMD | AMD EPYC™ Embedded 9005 Series Processors | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
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)
- NoneNo loss of availability on the vulnerable system.
- Confidentiality (other systems)
- HighSerious loss of confidentiality on systems beyond the vulnerable one.
- Integrity (other systems)
- HighSerious 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:N/SC:H/SI:H/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
Missing lock bit protection for NBIO registers could allow a local admin-privileged attacker to gain arbitrary System Management Network (SMN) access, potentially resulting in arbitrary code execution in AMD Secure Processor (ASP) and loss of the SEV-SNP guest's confidentiality and integrity.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Security-Sensitive Hardware Controls with Missing Lock Bit Protection
The product uses a register lock bit protection mechanism, but it does not ensure that the lock bit prevents modification of system registers or controls that perform changes to important hardware system configuration.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Security lock bit protections must be reviewed for design inconsistency and common weaknesses. Security lock programming flow and lock properties must be tested in pre-silicon and post-silicon testing.
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
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.3 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
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