CVE-2023-54150

What it actually does

The vulnerability allows out-of-bounds array access in the AMD BIOS parser due to a hardcoded size limit of 8 elements, while provided firmware data can exceed this size, leading to invalid memory dereferences.

Why it matters to the business

Systems using AMD graphics hardware may experience kernel instability, crashes, or potential memory corruption, affecting graphics functionality and overall system reliability. The issue has been public for over 300 days with low exploitation probability.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with the ability to supply or influence BIOS firmware data processed by the AMD display driver can trigger the out-of-bounds access by providing data larger than the assumed array size.

How to fix it

Apply the kernel patches from commits b8e7589f50b709b647b642531599e70707faf70c and b5a2a7529e3367d7a643e66f05da4f2a27013904 in the Linux kernel repository.

How to confirm the fix worked

Verify the presence of the fix by checking the kernel source for the updated array handling or confirming the commit hashes in the running kernel build.

Typical attack path

1. Identify a target system with vulnerable AMD graphics driver
2. Craft or modify firmware data exceeding 8 elements
3. Trigger BIOS parsing in the kernel
4. Cause out-of-bounds dereference leading to crash or corruption

How to detect it

Examine kernel logs for out-of-bounds access errors related to AMD BIOS parsing or drm/amd display module crashes around firmware loading times.

What your security team should do

• Update affected Linux kernels to include the specified fixes
• Monitor for any related graphics driver issues
• Test systems with AMD hardware after updates