Introduction
A heap overflow in AMD's GPU driver makes privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution possible on a wide range of AMD-based systems. It directly affects data center accelerators, consumer graphics cards, and embedded processors, so both enterprise and end-user environments are exposed. AMD's GPU and APU product lines are widely used in AI, high-performance computing, gaming, and embedded systems.
Technical information
CVE-2024-36342 is a heap overflow in AMD GPU drivers caused by improper input validation (CWE-20) in the kernel-mode driver. The flaw is in code that processes user-supplied data passed from user space to kernel space. When the driver allocates heap memory for this data, it does not sufficiently validate the size or structure of the input. A crafted input can therefore overflow the allocated buffer and overwrite adjacent kernel heap memory. That can corrupt control structures or function pointers, and it may allow arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges.
An attacker needs local access and low privileges, and no user interaction is required. The CVSS vector, AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H, means a local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, changed scope, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The kernel-mode driver is the layer that manages communication between user applications and GPU hardware. No public code snippets or vulnerable code details are available.
Patch information
For AMD Embedded processors, AMD has released updated Platform Initialization (PI) firmware packages. The updates improve input validation, memory management, and access controls in the firmware to mitigate specific security issues.
For example, CVE-2024-36354 is an improper input validation flaw in the boot loader. AMD fixed it in these firmware versions:
| Processor | Fixed firmware | Released |
|---|---|---|
| AMD EPYC Embedded 3000 Series Processors | SnowyOwl PI 1.1.0.F | April 30, 2025 |
| AMD EPYC Embedded 7002 Series Processors | EmbRomePI-SP3 1.0.0.E | April 14, 2025 |
| AMD EPYC Embedded 7003 Series Processors | EmbMilanPI-SP3 1.0.0.A | December 24, 2024 |
These versions add stronger input validation to prevent exploitation of the boot loader.
CVE-2024-21977 involves incomplete cleanup after a CPU microcode patch loads. AMD fixed it in these versions:
| Processor | Fixed firmware | Released |
|---|---|---|
| AMD EPYC Embedded 7003 Series Processors | EmbMilanPI-SP3 1.0.0.9 | October 31, 2024 |
| AMD EPYC Embedded 900 Series Processors | EmbGenoaPI-SP5 1.0.0.9 | December 27, 2024 |
With these versions, the firmware cleans up properly after loading a CPU microcode patch. That keeps the RDRAND instruction intact and prevents possible entropy degradation.
AMD strongly recommends that users and system administrators apply these firmware updates promptly. AMD's security bulletin lists the specific firmware versions and release dates, along with every affected product and its mitigation: AMD Embedded Vulnerabilities – August 2025.
Affected systems and versions
CVE-2024-36342 affects a wide range of AMD GPU and APU products, including:
- AMD Instinct MI210, MI250, MI300A, MI300X, MI308X, MI325X (data center accelerators)
- Radeon RX 7000 series (consumer graphics)
- Radeon Pro W7000 series, Radeon Pro V710 (professional graphics)
- AMD Ryzen 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000, 7040 series processors with integrated Radeon graphics
- AMD Embedded processors (see patch section for specific firmware updates)
- Dell PowerEdge XE9680 servers with AMD GPUs (see Dell advisory for details)
The fix depends on the product:
- Embedded processors: use the firmware versions and release dates in the patch section.
- Data center and workstation GPUs: update to ROCm 6.4 or later.
- Consumer and professional graphics cards: install the latest AMD graphics drivers as distributed by AMD.
- Dell PowerEdge servers: apply the firmware and software updates in Dell security advisory DSA-2025-322.
Vendor security history
AMD has fixed security vulnerabilities across its product portfolio before. Earlier issues include speculative execution vulnerabilities such as Spectre variants, trusted execution environment flaws such as CVE-2021-26383, and driver bugs. AMD typically responds with detailed advisories and coordinated patch releases, and works with ecosystem partners on them. It maintains product-specific security bulletins and provides timely updates for affected products.
