Improper Input ValidationWeakness · CWE-20

CVE-2024-21925

HIGH · 8.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-11
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
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 input validation within the AmdPspP2CmboxV2 driver may allow a privileged attacker to overwrite SMRAM, leading to 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

The AmdPspP2CmboxV2 AMD driver contains an improper input validation vulnerability that allows a privileged attacker to overwrite SMRAM (Security Mode RAM), which is protected memory used by AMD's Platform Security Processor. This memory corruption in SMRAM can lead to arbitrary code execution at the firmware level.

MitigationApply vendor-provided firmware/driver updates from AMD that address the input validation flaw in the AmdPspP2CmboxV2 driver. Until a patch is available, restrict administrative access and monitor for privilege escalation attempts.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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. Identify if AmdPspP2CmboxV2 driver is present
    On Windows, run 'driverquery /v | findstr AmdPspP2CmboxV2' or check C:\Windows\System32\drivers\ for the driver file. On Linux, check /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/drivers/firmware/ or use 'lsmod | grep psp'
    Affected if The driver file AmdPspP2CmboxV2.sys (Windows) or equivalent driver module exists on the system
  2. Check the installed driver version
    Right-click the driver file, select Properties, then Details to view File Version. On Linux, use 'modinfo' on the PSP driver module if found
    Affected if Any version of the AmdPspP2CmboxV2 driver is installed; compare against any vendor-released fixed versions when available
  3. Verify the driver is loaded or active
    On Windows, check Device Manager under System devices for AMD Platform Security Processor driver status. On Linux, check 'dmesg | grep -i psp' or 'lsmod | grep psp' for loaded PSP modules
    Affected if The AMD PSP driver is loaded and active on the system
  4. Confirm system uses an affected AMD platform
    Check system information (msinfo32 on Windows, 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' on Linux) for AMD processor model and chipset. Research the specific CPU/firmware lineage against AMD security advisories
    Affected if The system runs an AMD processor and firmware that falls within the affected product scope described in AMD advisory
  5. Check SMRAM protection status in firmware/BIOS
    Access BIOS/UEFI setup during boot and look for SMM Lock or SMRAM protection settings under Security or Advanced menus. On Linux, tools like 'dmidecode' may expose some firmware configurations
    Affected if SMRAM protection is not properly configured or can be bypassed, allowing the vulnerability to be exploited

The user is affected if the AmdPspP2CmboxV2 driver is present and loaded on an AMD system within the affected product range, and the system has not received the vendor firmware/driver update that addresses the input validation flaw.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor-provided firmware/driver updates from AMD that address the input validation flaw in the AmdPspP2CmboxV2 driver. Until a patch is available, restrict administrative access and monitor for privilege escalation attempts.

Have this fixed 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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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2024-21925 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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