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Radeon SoftwareApplication · Amd

CVE-2020-12894

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-11-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 20.7.1 or later.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Arbitrary Write in AMD Graphics Driver for Windows 10 in Escape 0x40010d may lead to arbitrary write to kernel memory or denial of service.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A vulnerability in the AMD Graphics Driver for Windows 10 allows an attacker to perform arbitrary memory writes to kernel memory through Escape function 0x40010d. This can be exploited for local privilege escalation to kernel mode or to cause a denial of service by crashing the system.

MitigationApply the AMD graphics driver update that addresses this vulnerability. For systems that cannot immediately be patched, consider restricting access to untrusted applications or users, though this provides limited protection against local attackers.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Radeon SoftwareApplication
Affected:< 20.7.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Windows 10 environment
    Run 'winver' or check System Properties to confirm the operating system is Windows 10, as this vulnerability specifically affects the AMD Graphics Driver for Windows 10.
    Affected if The system is running Windows 10 and has AMD graphics hardware.
  2. Identify installed AMD graphics driver version
    Open Device Manager, expand 'Display adapters', right-click on the AMD Radeon graphics device, select 'Properties', go to the 'Driver' tab, and note the driver version. Alternatively, run 'dxdiag' and check the 'Display' tab for driver information.
    Affected if The displayed driver version is earlier than 20.7.1 (e.g., 20.5.1, 20.4.2, etc.).
  3. Confirm AMD Radeon Software installation
    Check for the presence of AMD Radeon Software by looking for 'Radeon Settings' or 'AMD Radeon' in the Start menu, or check Program Files for the AMD folder (typically C:\Program Files\AMD\CNext\).
    Affected if Radeon Software is installed and running on the system.
  4. Check for vulnerable driver component
    Verify the kernel-mode driver file (atikmdag.sys or similar AMD display drivers) is present in the Windows\System32\drivers\ directory. The vulnerability exists in the driver handling Escape function 0x40010d.
    Affected if The AMD display driver is installed and the vulnerable Escape function 0x40010d is exposed through the driver interface.

A system is affected if it is running Windows 10 with an AMD Radeon graphics driver version earlier than 20.7.1, where the vulnerable driver component handling Escape function 0x40010d is present.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 20.7.1 or later
Fixed in 20.7.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the AMD graphics driver update that addresses this vulnerability. For systems that cannot immediately be patched, consider restricting access to untrusted applications or users, though this provides limited protection against local attackers.

Recommended fix High confidence

Radeon Software version 20.7.1 or later

  1. Navigate to the official AMD website (www.amd.com) and locate the Radeon Software download section
  2. Download Radeon Software version 20.7.1 or any subsequent version newer than 20.7.1
  3. Open the downloaded installer and follow the on-screen prompts to uninstall the current graphics driver
  4. After uninstallation completes, restart the computer when prompted
  5. Run the installer again to install the new Radeon Software version 20.7.1 or later
  6. Restart the computer after installation completes to ensure the new driver is fully initialized

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Radeon Software Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,570
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-12894 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data