dbcve.org
Epyc 7001 FirmwareOperating system · Amd

CVE-2021-46774

HIGH · 7.5 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 →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 DRAM address validation in System Management Unit (SMU) may allow an attacker to read/write from/to an invalid DRAM address, potentially resulting in denial-of-service.

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 confidence

Insufficient DRAM address validation in the AMD System Management Unit (SMU) firmware allows an attacker to read from or write to invalid DRAM memory addresses. This out-of-bounds access could corrupt memory or cause system instability, leading to denial-of-service.

MitigationApply vendor-provided firmware/BIOS updates from AMD that implement proper DRAM address boundary checking in the SMU. Until patched, monitor for unusual system behavior and restrict physical access to vulnerable systems.

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 7001 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< naplespi_1.0.0.k
Epyc 7251 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< naplespi_1.0.0.k
Epyc 7261 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< naplespi_1.0.0.k
Epyc 7281 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< naplespi_1.0.0.k
Epyc 7301 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< naplespi_1.0.0.k
Epyc 7351 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< naplespi_1.0.0.k
Epyc 7351p FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< naplespi_1.0.0.k
Epyc 7371 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< naplespi_1.0.0.k

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify the AMD Epyc processor model
    Run `dmidecode -t processor | grep -E 'Family|Model' ` or check /proc/cpuinfo for the CPU model name
    Affected if The processor is NOT one of these models: Epyc 7001, 7251, 7261, 7281, 7301, 7351, 7351p, or 7371 - if so, the system is not affected by this specific CVE
  2. Locate the SMU firmware version
    Access the BIOS/UEFI setup utility and navigate to the SMU or firmware information section, or use `dmidecode -t bios` to retrieve firmware version details
    Affected if The SMU firmware version string cannot be retrieved or does not appear to be in the naplespi format
  3. Compare the installed SMU firmware version against the fixed version
    Identify the full firmware version string (such as naplespi_1.0.0.k or earlier) from the BIOS/firmware output
    Affected if The firmware version is naplespi_1.0.0.k or any version prior to naplespi_1.0.0.k (for example, naplespi_1.0.0.j or earlier) - this indicates the system is vulnerable
  4. Verify the firmware is the original vendor firmware
    Check if the system is running OEM-customized or modified firmware by reviewing the firmware version string or using vendor-specific tools
    Affected if Custom or modified firmware that does not include AMD's address validation fix is installed, even if the base version appears to be 1.0.0.k

A system is affected if it contains an AMD Epyc 7001, 7251, 7261, 7281, 7301, 7351, 7351p, or 7371 processor with SMU firmware version earlier than naplespi_1.0.0.k.

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 vendor-provided firmware/BIOS updates from AMD that implement proper DRAM address boundary checking in the SMU. Until patched, monitor for unusual system behavior and restrict physical access to vulnerable systems.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

naplespi_1.0.0.k or later

  1. Contact AMD or your system manufacturer to obtain the firmware update naplespi_1.0.0.k or later for your specific Epyc 7001 processor model
  2. Follow AMD's standard firmware update procedure for the System Management Unit (SMU)
  3. Verify the SMU firmware version after update confirms naplespi_1.0.0.k or later is installed
  4. Reboot the system to ensure the new SMU firmware is properly initialized
Caveat Firmware updates may require system downtime; ensure proper backup and maintenance window

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

Fix this in Epyc 7001 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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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-2021-46774 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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