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Epyc 7h12 FirmwareOperating system · Amd

CVE-2021-26398

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Insufficient input validation in SYS_KEY_DERIVE system call in a compromised user application or ABL may allow an attacker to corrupt ASP (AMD Secure Processor) OS memory which may lead to potential arbitrary code execution.

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

Insufficient input validation in the SYS_KEY_DERIVE system call in AMD's Secure Processor (ASP) allows a compromised user application or the AMD Boot Loader (ABL) to corrupt ASP OS memory. This memory corruption may enable arbitrary code execution within the trusted execution environment.

MitigationApply AMD-provided firmware updates for the Secure Processor once available; ensure the boot chain integrity is maintained and untrusted applications have minimal privileges to interact with secure processor interfaces.

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
Epyc 7h12 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< romepi_1.0.0.c
Epyc 7f72 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< romepi_1.0.0.c
Epyc 7f52 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< romepi_1.0.0.c
Epyc 7f32 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< romepi_1.0.0.c
Epyc 7742 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< romepi_1.0.0.c
Epyc 7702p FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< romepi_1.0.0.c
Epyc 7702 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< romepi_1.0.0.c
Epyc 7662 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< romepi_1.0.0.c

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify AMD Epyc processor model
    Run `dmidecode -t processor | grep -E 'Manufacturer|Version'` or check system BIOS/UEFI information to confirm an AMD Epyc processor from the affected model list (7h12, 7f72, 7f52, 7f32, 7742, 7702p, 7702, 7662)
    Affected if The system does not have one of the listed AMD Epyc processor models
  2. Query Secure Processor firmware version
    Use AMD-provided firmware tools or system management interfaces (e.g., BMC/IPMI, AMD SMN) to query the AMD Secure Processor (ASP) firmware version. The version string should contain 'romepi' followed by a version number
    Affected if The Secure Processor firmware version cannot be retrieved or the system does not have an AMD Secure Processor
  3. Compare firmware version to affected range
    If the firmware version is obtainable, compare it against the affected version identifier 'romepi_1.0.0.c'. Versions earlier than this (e.g., romepi_1.0.0.b, romepi_0.x.x, etc.) are considered vulnerable
    Affected if The installed Secure Processor firmware version is romepi_1.0.0.c or later (these are NOT affected) or the version cannot be determined (assume affected if the processor model matches)

The system is affected if it uses an AMD Epyc processor from the listed models AND the Secure Processor firmware version is earlier than romepi_1.0.0.c, or if the firmware version cannot be determined but the processor model matches the affected list.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply AMD-provided firmware updates for the Secure Processor once available; ensure the boot chain integrity is maintained and untrusted applications have minimal privileges to interact with secure processor interfaces.

Recommended fix High confidence

romepi_1.0.0.c or later firmware version

  1. Identify the exact Epyc processor model (7h12, 7f72, 7f52, 7f32, 7742, 7702p, 7702, or 7662) in the affected system
  2. Obtain the latest AMD Epyc firmware update from AMD's official support website (www.amd.com) or through the server hardware vendor (Dell, HPE, Lenovo, etc.)
  3. Ensure the firmware update includes the fix for romepi_1.0.0.c or later version
  4. Apply the firmware update following the vendor's standard procedures - this typically involves either a BIOS/UEFI update or a dedicated AMD Secure Processor (ASP) firmware flash
  5. Verify the firmware version has been successfully updated to a version containing the fix
Caveat Firmware updates carry a risk if interrupted; ensure stable power and follow vendor update procedures precisely

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

Fix this in Epyc 7h12 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2021-26398 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