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Amd UprofApplication · Amd

CVE-2021-26334

CRITICAL · 9.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.4.494 / 3.4.502 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
The AMDPowerProfiler.sys driver of AMD μProf tool may allow lower privileged users to access MSRs in kernel which may lead to privilege escalation and ring-0 code execution by the lower privileged user.

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

The AMDPowerProfiler.sys kernel driver (part of AMD μProf profiling tool) exposes Model Specific Register (MSR) access to lower-privileged users. MSRs are CPU registers that control critical low-level hardware functions; allowing unprivileged access permits ring-0 code execution, enabling complete privilege escalation and full system compromise.

MitigationUninstall AMD μProf or remove/disable the AMDPowerProfiler.sys driver. Until a vendor patch is available, prevent unprivileged users from accessing systems with this driver installed.

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
Amd UprofApplication
Affected:< 3.4.494< 3.4.502

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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 checks

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

  1. Check if AMDPowerProfiler.sys driver file exists
    Search for AMDPowerProfiler.sys in the Windows\System32\drivers directory and other standard driver locations using 'dir /s C:\AMDPowerProfiler.sys' or Get-ChildItem -Path C:\ -Recurse -Filter AMDPowerProfiler.sys -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    Affected if The driver file is present on the system
  2. Verify installed AMD μProf version
    Check the version of AMD μProf in Programs and Features, or query the registry key under HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\AMD\uProf or the installation directory for version information
    Affected if The installed version is less than 3.4.494 or less than 3.4.502 (both thresholds indicate vulnerability)
  3. Confirm the driver is currently loaded
    Run 'sc query AMDPowerProfiler' or check the driver list via 'driverquery /v | findstr AMDPowerProfiler' to see if the driver service exists and its current state
    Affected if The driver service exists and shows as running or stopped (presence alone indicates potential exposure)
  4. Inspect driver file version
    If the driver file is found, right-click properties and view Details tab for File Version, or use Get-ItemProperty on the driver file path
    Affected if The file version is below the safe thresholds (3.4.494 or 3.4.502) or version cannot be determined but driver is present

If AMDPowerProfiler.sys is present on the system and the AMD μProf version is below 3.4.494 or 3.4.502, the environment is vulnerable to unprivileged MSR access and potential privilege escalation.

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 3.4.494 / 3.4.502 or later
Fixed in 3.4.4943.4.502
Interim mitigation

Uninstall AMD μProf or remove/disable the AMDPowerProfiler.sys driver. Until a vendor patch is available, prevent unprivileged users from accessing systems with this driver installed.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

AMD μProf version 3.4.494 or 3.4.502 (whichever is the appropriate fixed release for your product line)

  1. 1. Uninstall the current version of AMD μProf from the system using the standard uninstall procedure
  2. 2. Download the latest version of AMD μProf from the official AMD website (www.amd.com) or the AMD Developer Central portal
  3. 3. Verify the version number matches or exceeds the fixed releases (3.4.494 or 3.4.502 depending on your product variant)
  4. 4. Install the updated AMD μProf version with administrative privileges
  5. 5. Reboot the system to ensure the new driver (AMDPowerProfiler.sys) is properly loaded
  6. 6. Confirm the installed version by checking the AMD μProf application or driver file version properties
Caveat Minimal risk - AMD μProf is a development and profiling tool; ensure any custom profiling configurations are backed up before reinstallation

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

Fix this in Amd Uprof Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,330
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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-2021-26334 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