According to the results of their own internal research, Cornell University employees said that absolutely all AMD processors based on the Zen architecture found a fairly easy-to-exploit vulnerability in the security block. Thanks to this vulnerability, any relatively fresh processor from the “red” company can be taken under control by a third-party user – for this, it is enough to install a “bug” on a motherboard with a processor whose cores are based on the latest AMD architecture. We are talking about the Ryzen processor family (including Threadripper processors for high-performance systems) and several Athlon models.
The researchers noted that the “bug”, which in fact costs mere pennies, can quite simply deceive the special AMD Secure Processor security unit built into the processor, after which a third party gains full control over the computer and the data streams on it. The university also added that the vulnerability was found in a special encryption module AMD Secure Encrypted Virtualization – it is responsible for encrypting information when running virtual machines on a PC. Accordingly, having physical access to the computer to install the “bug”, attackers can bypass the encryption of the processor, gaining full access to the data in the system.
Moreover, the researchers who discovered this vulnerability stated that AMD would not be able to release any software patches that could fix the problem – it is simply impossible. In order to close the hole, the processor manufacturer needs to completely change the architecture of its own Secure Processor and the mechanics of data encryption. And if owners of custom PCs are not so scared, then in the corporate sector, especially on secure servers, this can be a big problem.
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