Mysterious security flaw: AMD GPUs receive rare vBIOS updates
vBIOS updates are currently available for older AMD Radeon RX 7000 series graphics cards. They are intended to close a potential security gap that has not yet been specified. AMD advises owners of appropriate hardware to update as soon as possible.
vBIOS patch for AMD graphics cards
At the beginning of October, Nvidia released new GeForce drivers for older GPUs, closing 114 security holes. Shortly afterwards, AMD followed suit. Owners of Radeon RX 7000 series models are currently receiving vBIOS updates. Manufacturers Sapphire and Gigabyte have already started distributing updated firmware for graphics cards with RDNA 3 architecture to close a potential security vulnerability. However, everyone involved is extremely tight-lipped about exactly which vulnerabilities will be fixed. At Gigabyte, the identifier AMD-SN-6023 appears in the support documents. A public entry in the AMD security database However, it does not yet exist. According to the chip manufacturer, so far there have been at least no reports that the vulnerabilities are being exploited in practice. Owners should still install the update as soon as possible.
How Hardwareluxx According to reports, AMD is releasing the update before the technical details are announced to give users time to install it. This approach is intended to limit the information that could be used to exploit the vulnerability. The exact background will only be communicated later. Sapphire provides appropriate update tools and Instructions (PDF) ready.
Specific updates for each model
A vBIOS update is rather unusual for graphics cards. Unlike regular graphics drivers that work at the operating system level, a vBIOS update changes the firmware stored directly on the graphics card. It contains basic initialization data as well as model-specific configuration parameters. These include the clock behavior, memory control and energy management of the board. Since the board partners use different designs and components, the firmware is tailored precisely to the respective graphics card model. Installing an incorrect version may cause compatibility issues or prevent the card from booting. Users should therefore only use the files from the official support channels of the respective manufacturers and pay attention to the exact model name.
Previous availability
So far, availability is limited to models Sapphire and Gigabytes. Depending on the manufacturer, the cards supplied so far include the AMD Radeon RX 7600, RX 7600 XT, RX 7650 GRE, RX 7700 XT, RX 7800 XT, RX 7900 GRE, RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX. It is still unclear whether and when other brands such as Asus or ASRock will provide corresponding updates.
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