CVE-2020-12927
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 · uneditedA potential vulnerability in a dynamically loaded AMD driver in AMD VBIOS Flash Tool SDK may allow any authenticated user to escalate privileges to NT authority system.
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 · moderate confidenceA vulnerability in a dynamically loaded AMD driver within the AMD VBIOS Flash Tool SDK allows any authenticated user on the system to escalate privileges to NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM. The flaw exists in how the driver is loaded and executed, bypassing proper privilege validation.
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< 3.12CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate AMD VBIOS Flash Tool SDK installationCheck for the SDK in typical installation directories such as C:\Program Files\AMD\VBiosFlashTool or C:\Program Files (x86)\AMD\VBiosFlashTool, or use Add/Remove Programs to find the software listingAffected if The SDK is installed on the system
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Identify the installed SDK versionRight-click the executable or DLL files in the SDK directory, select Properties, and check the Version tab; alternatively, check the 'Programs and Features' control panel for the version listed next to AMD VBIOS Flash ToolAffected if The version number displayed is lower than 3.12
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Verify the dynamically loaded driver is presentExamine the SDK installation folder for driver files (typically .sys or .dll files related to the flashing functionality); check subfolders named 'driver', 'bin', or 'resources' for these componentsAffected if Driver files associated with the SDK exist in the installation directory
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Check for driver loading or executionOpen Windows Services (services.msc) and look for any AMD-related services from the VBIOS Flash Tool; also check running processes for amdvbflash.exe or similar AMD flashing utilitiesAffected if The AMD VBIOS Flash Tool driver or service has been loaded or executed on the system
A user is affected if the AMD VBIOS Flash Tool SDK version is below 3.12 and the vulnerable driver component is present or has been loaded on the system.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor data3.12
Restrict access to the AMD VBIOS Flash Tool SDK to only essential personnel; evaluate removal if unused. If a patch is available from AMD, apply it immediately.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,480.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-12927 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-12927 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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