CVE-2020-12960
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 · uneditedAMD Graphics Driver for Windows 10, amdfender.sys may improperly handle input validation on InputBuffer which may result in a denial of service (DoS).
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 confidenceAMD Graphics Driver for Windows 10 (amdfender.sys) contains an input validation vulnerability where the driver may improperly handle InputBuffer, potentially leading to a denial of service condition.
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< 21.4.1CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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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Verify amdfender.sys driver is presentOpen File Explorer or command prompt and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\ and check if amdfender.sys exists, or run: dir C:\Windows\System32\drivers\amdfender.sysAffected if The file amdfender.sys exists on the system
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Identify installed AMD Radeon Software versionOpen Windows Settings > Apps > Apps & features, look for 'AMD Radeon Software' or similar AMD graphics software and note the version number shownAffected if AMD Radeon Software version is displayed as less than 21.4.1
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Check driver version via device propertiesOpen Device Manager, expand 'System devices' or 'Display adapters', right-click on AMD graphics device, select Properties, go to Driver tab, note the driver versionAffected if Driver version corresponds to AMD Radeon Software version less than 21.4.1
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Verify driver file version directlyRight-click on C:\Windows\System32\drivers\amdfender.sys (if present), select Properties, go to Details tab, check File Version or Product VersionAffected if The file version is earlier than the version bundled with AMD Radeon Software 21.4.1
The system is affected if amdfender.sys is present AND the installed AMD Radeon Software version is below 21.4.1, as the input validation vulnerability in the driver requires this specific component and version range to be exploitable.
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.
dbcve · scoped21.4.1
Update AMD graphics drivers to the latest version available from AMD's official support channels, as this is a driver-level input validation issue that requires a vendor patch.
Radeon Software 21.4.1 or later
- Download Radeon Software version 21.4.1 or later from AMD's official website (www.amd.com)
- Run the installer to update the graphics driver
- Restart the system as prompted to complete the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-12960 — 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-2020-12960 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data