CVE-2023-20599VulnerabilityPublished 10 Jun 2025Updated 23 Nov 2025

CVE-2023-20599: AMD EPYC™ 7002 Series Processors · Register Interface Allows Software Access to Sensitive Data or Security Settings

Affects AMD EPYC™ 7002 Series ProcessorsSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.9 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.9High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 7% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: None
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Changed: An exploited vulnerability can affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority of the vulnerable component. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are different and managed by different security authorities.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 10 Jun 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

1. Monitor AMD’s official channels for patches or firmware updates addressing CVE-2023-20599 and apply them promptly once available. 2. Restrict and tightly control privileged access on systems running AMD EPYC 7002 processors to minimize the risk of insider threats or privilege escalation. 3. Implement robust auditing and monitoring of privileged user activities to detect any unauthorized attempts to access or manipulate cryptographic registers. 4. Use hardware security modules (HSMs) or external cryptographic devices where feasible to reduce reliance on processor internal cryptographic functions. 5. Employ defense-in-depth strategies including endpoint protection, strict access controls, and network segmentation to limit attacker movement even if local privilege is obtained. 6. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focusing on privilege escalation vectors and cryptographic key management. 7. Educate system administrators and security teams about the vulnerability and the importance of safeguarding privileged accounts.

Description

Improper register access control in ASP may allow a privileged attacker to perform unauthorized access to ASP’s Crypto Co-Processor (CCP) registers from x86 resulting in potential loss of control of cryptographic key pointer/index leading to loss of integrity or confidentiality.

Impact

For European organizations, especially those operating data centers, cloud services, or critical infrastructure using AMD EPYC 7002 processors, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. Unauthorized access to cryptographic keys can lead to data breaches, unauthorized decryption of sensitive information, and potential manipulation of cryptographic operations, undermining trust in secure communications and data protection. The loss of integrity and confidentiality can affect compliance with GDPR and other data protection regulations, leading to legal and financial repercussions. The requirement for local privileged access limits remote exploitation but elevates the risk from insider threats or attackers who have already gained elevated privileges. This vulnerability could also impact national security agencies and financial institutions relying on hardware-based cryptography for secure operations. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not diminish the urgency for mitigation given the critical nature of the flaw.

CWE-1262Improper Access Control for Register Interface (opens in a new tab)
Base weakness
The product uses memory-mapped I/O registers that act as an interface to hardware functionality from software, but there is improper access control to those registers.
Architecture and Design
Design proper policies for hardware register access from software.
Implementation
Ensure that access control policies for register access are implemented in accordance with the specified design.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Docker Security (opens in a new tab)
Third Party Javascript Management (opens in a new tab)
Virtual Patching (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V1.4.4 (opens in a new tab)
V1.4.5 (opens in a new tab)
V1.10.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Exploitation of Improperly Controlled Registers (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

amd.com/en/resources/product-security/bulletin/AMD-SB-7039.html (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 28 Nov 2025, 22:52 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-1262

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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