Epyc 9654p FirmwareOperating system · Amd

CVE-2021-46766

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
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
Improper clearing of sensitive data in the ASP Bootloader may expose secret keys to a privileged attacker accessing ASP SRAM, potentially leading to a loss of confidentiality.

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 ASP Bootloader fails to properly clear sensitive data, specifically secret keys, from SRAM memory after use. A privileged attacker with access to the ASP SRAM can read these uncleared cryptographic keys, resulting in loss of confidentiality.

MitigationImplement secure memory sanitization routines to overwrite all sensitive data, including cryptographic keys, in SRAM immediately after use. Verify that secret keys are not retained in memory after bootloader operations complete.

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 9654p FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< genoapi_1.0.0.4
Epyc 9654 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< genoapi_1.0.0.4
Epyc 9634 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< genoapi_1.0.0.4
Epyc 9554p FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< genoapi_1.0.0.4
Epyc 9554 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< genoapi_1.0.0.4
Epyc 9534 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< genoapi_1.0.0.4
Epyc 9474f FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< genoapi_1.0.0.4
Epyc 9454p FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< genoapi_1.0.0.4

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
None
Availability
None

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

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 the installed AMD Epyc processor model
    Run 'dmidecode -t processor | grep -i "AMD Epyc"' or check system inventory to confirm the exact model number
    Affected if The model is one of: 9654p, 9654, 9634, 9554p, 9554, 9534, 9474f, or 9454p
  2. Determine the firmware version for the genoapi component
    Use the system's firmware management tools (such as AMD's firmware update utilities, IPMI, or BIOS management interfaces) to query the installed firmware version. Look specifically for the 'genoapi' component version string.
    Affected if The genoapi version is displayed and is below version 1.0.0.4
  3. Confirm the overall firmware baseline version
    Check the full system firmware/BIOS version for the AMD Epyc system using 'dmidecode -t bios' or the appropriate BMC/IPMI interface, noting any version information that includes the genoapi component.
    Affected if The firmware bundle containing genoapi is older than the version that includes genoapi_1.0.0.4

You are affected if you are running any of the listed AMD Epyc models (9654p, 9654, 9634, 9554p, 9554, 9534, 9474f, 9454p) with a firmware version where the genoapi component is older than version 1.0.0.4.

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

Implement secure memory sanitization routines to overwrite all sensitive data, including cryptographic keys, in SRAM immediately after use. Verify that secret keys are not retained in memory after bootloader operations complete.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

genoapi_1.0.0.4 or later

  1. Obtain the updated firmware (genoapi_1.0.0.4 or later) from AMD's official support website for your specific Epyc processor model
  2. Verify the firmware checksum and signature before applying
  3. Apply the firmware update using AMD's recommended update mechanism (typically via BMC/IPMI, AMD's firmware update utility, or platform-specific tools)
  4. Reboot the system as required by the firmware update process
  5. Verify the installed firmware version matches the fixed release
Caveat Firmware updates may require system downtime and should be tested in a non-production environment first; ensure proper backup and rollback capabilities are available

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

Fix this in Epyc 9654p Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-46766 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data