Executive brief
A vulnerability in the AMD graphics driver for Linux could allow a local user to crash the entire operating system. By sending specific commands to the graphics card, a user can trigger a kernel panic, leading to a complete system shutdown and loss of unsaved data. This issue primarily affects systems using newer AMD graphics hardware.
Technical details
The vulnerability exists in the amdgpu driver within the gfx_v11_0.c and gfx_v12_0.c files. Specifically, the function gfx_v11_0_ring_emit_ib_gfx (and its v12 counterpart) contained BUG_ON() macros that checked for the AMDGPU_IB_FLAG_CE flag. Because these flags can be influenced or triggered by standard userspace requests, an unprivileged or local user can cause the kernel to hit these assertions. In Linux, a BUG_ON() failure in a critical path like a GPU driver often results in an immediate kernel panic, causing a local Denial of Service (DoS). The fix involves removing these invalid assertions to prevent userspace-induced system crashes.
Affected products
- Linux Linux Kernel Versions including gfx_v11_0 and gfx_v12_0 amdgpu drivers
Timeline
- 2025-08-27: other: Initial patch authored
- 2025-12-16: disclosed: CVE published