CVE-2024-36320 is an integer overflow vulnerability classified under CWE-190 found in the atihdwt6.sys driver, which is part of the AMD Ryzen 4000 Series Mobile Processors with Radeon Graphics platform. The vulnerability arises when the driver improperly handles integer values, causing an overflow or wraparound condition. This flaw enables a local attacker with low privileges to perform out-of-bounds read or write operations in kernel memory space. Such memory corruption can lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, modification of critical data, or system crashes, thereby impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The attack vector requires local access but no user interaction, and the attacker does not need elevated privileges initially, making it easier to exploit in environments where users have limited but legitimate access. The vulnerability does not currently have known exploits in the wild, but its presence in a widely deployed processor family used in many laptops and mobile devices raises concern. The CVSS 4.0 vector indicates low attack complexity, no user interaction, and partial impact on confidentiality and availability, with high impact on integrity. The lack of available patches at the time of publication necessitates proactive mitigation. This vulnerability highlights the risks associated with hardware driver flaws that can be leveraged for privilege escalation or persistent system compromise.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-36320 can be significant, especially in sectors relying heavily on mobile computing such as finance, government, and technology. Exploitation could allow attackers to escalate privileges from a low-privilege local user to higher system levels, potentially enabling data theft, unauthorized system modifications, or denial of service through system instability or crashes. Confidentiality breaches could expose sensitive corporate or personal data, while integrity violations might allow tampering with critical applications or security controls. Availability could be affected if the system becomes unstable or crashes due to out-of-bounds memory operations. Given the widespread use of AMD Ryzen 4000 mobile processors in European enterprise and consumer laptops, this vulnerability poses a broad risk. The requirement for local access limits remote exploitation but insider threats or compromised user accounts could be leveraged. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for mitigation, but organizations must act swiftly to prevent potential future attacks.

1. Restrict local access: Enforce strict access controls on systems with AMD Ryzen 4000 mobile processors to limit the number of users with local login capabilities. 2. Monitor system behavior: Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to identify unusual memory access patterns or crashes related to atihdwt6.sys. 3. Apply principle of least privilege: Ensure users operate with the minimum necessary privileges to reduce exploitation risk. 4. Disable or limit use of vulnerable driver components if feasible until patches are available. 5. Maintain up-to-date system and driver inventories to quickly identify affected devices. 6. Prepare for patch deployment by coordinating with AMD and OEM vendors for timely updates once released. 7. Educate users about the risks of local privilege escalation and enforce policies to prevent unauthorized software installations or execution. 8. Use application whitelisting to prevent execution of untrusted code that could exploit the vulnerability. 9. Implement network segmentation to isolate critical systems and limit lateral movement in case of compromise. 10. Regularly review and update incident response plans to include scenarios involving local privilege escalation vulnerabilities.