CVE-2020-12951

SMM operation access via ASP firmware race

Published Nov 16, 2021 · Updated Sep 17, 2024

A race condition in AMD ASP firmware on affected Ryzen and Athlon processors allows local users to perform privileged SMM operations. AMD identifies the affected component but has not disclosed the shared resource, synchronization error, or precise operation sequence that creates the race. Execution of less-privileged x86 code on the physical host is required, and successful exploitation crosses the ASP trust boundary into SMM.

CVSS severity7.0
High
EPSS probability0.22%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

A race condition in AMD ASP firmware on affected Ryzen and Athlon processors allows local users to perform privileged SMM operations. AMD identifies the affected component but has not disclosed the shared resource, synchronization error, or precise operation sequence that creates the race. Execution of less-privileged x86 code on the physical host is required, and successful exploitation crosses the ASP trust boundary into SMM.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-12951
Published
Nov 16, 2021
Updated
Sep 17, 2024
Vendor
AMD
Product
AMD Ryzen Series
Classifications
CWE-362, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
Unavailable

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Nov 16, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 17, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=various

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

AMD · AMD Ryzen Seriesversion=various
AMD · AMD Athlon Seriesversion=various

Published CVSS scores

4.4NIST NVDAV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
7.0NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
PrivilegesUnavailable
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-362Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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