CVE-2025-29936: AMD PMF Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

CVE-2025-29936 Overview

CVE-2025-29936 is an improper input validation vulnerability in the AMD Platform Management Framework (PMF). The flaw allows a local attacker with low privileges to unmap arbitrary memory pages. Successful exploitation can compromise system integrity and availability, or enable privilege escalation that leads to a loss of confidentiality. The weakness is classified as [CWE-20] Improper Input Validation. AMD published details in security bulletin SB-4015. The vulnerability requires local access and low privileges, with no user interaction needed to trigger the condition.

Critical Impact
A local attacker can unmap arbitrary memory pages through the AMD PMF, leading to privilege escalation and full compromise of system integrity, availability, and confidentiality.

Affected Products

AMD Platform Management Framework (PMF)
AMD client platforms shipping the PMF driver
See AMD Security Bulletin SB-4015 for specific affected SKUs and driver versions

Discovery Timeline

2026-05-15 - CVE-2025-29936 published to NVD
2026-05-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-29936

Vulnerability Analysis

The AMD Platform Management Framework (PMF) coordinates platform-level power, thermal, and performance policies between firmware, the operating system, and user-space management agents. The framework exposes interfaces that accept input parameters describing memory regions for management operations. CVE-2025-29936 results from insufficient validation of those inputs before the framework acts on them. An attacker who can reach the PMF interface from a low-privileged local context can supply crafted parameters that cause the framework to unmap memory pages outside its intended scope.

Unmapping arbitrary memory pages disrupts the address space of privileged components. This produces system instability, corrupts kernel or driver state, and creates conditions where attacker-controlled memory can be re-mapped at sensitive addresses. The chain converts a validation flaw into a privilege escalation primitive that breaks the confidentiality boundary between user-mode code and kernel-mode resources.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or incomplete validation of caller-supplied parameters within the PMF code paths that perform memory page management. The framework trusts input describing page targets without verifying ownership, alignment, or boundary conditions. [CWE-20] applies because the component does not enforce that input conforms to expected properties before acting on it.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access with low privileges. An attacker executes code on the target system, opens a handle to the PMF interface, and issues requests with crafted parameters. No user interaction is required. Because the vulnerability lives in a platform management component, the attacker inherits privileges associated with that component once the page unmap operation succeeds. Refer to the AMD Security Bulletin SB-4015 for technical specifics on the affected interfaces.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-29936

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected loading or interaction with the AMD PMF driver from non-administrative processes
Kernel crashes, bug checks, or memory access violations referencing PMF driver modules
Unprivileged user processes opening handles to PMF device objects or IOCTL endpoints
Sudden token elevation or new SYSTEM/root processes spawned shortly after PMF driver activity

Detection Strategies

Monitor device handle opens against the PMF driver and correlate with the integrity level of the calling process
Alert on kernel faults in PMF modules and pair them with the preceding user-mode caller
Hunt for processes that load uncommon platform management libraries followed by privilege changes

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward Windows kernel ETW events and Linux kernel audit logs covering driver IOCTL activity to a centralized SIEM
Track installed AMD PMF driver versions across the fleet and flag systems running versions below those listed in AMD SB-4015
Baseline normal PMF-related telemetry on representative hosts so anomalous calls stand out during triage

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-29936

Immediate Actions Required

Inventory endpoints running AMD client platforms with the PMF driver installed
Apply the AMD-supplied driver and firmware updates referenced in AMD Security Bulletin SB-4015 as soon as vendor builds are available through OEM channels
Restrict local logon rights and remove unnecessary local accounts to reduce the population of users who can reach the vulnerable interface

Patch Information

AMD has published guidance in AMD Security Bulletin SB-4015. Patched driver versions are distributed through system OEMs and AMD chipset/driver packages. Coordinate updates with the OEM image owner because PMF components ship inside vendor driver bundles rather than as a standalone download in many cases.

Workarounds

Disable the AMD PMF driver on systems where platform management features are not required, accepting the loss of associated power and thermal optimizations
Apply application control policies that block untrusted binaries from executing on affected endpoints, limiting who can reach the local attack surface
Enforce least privilege so standard users cannot install drivers or load arbitrary kernel modules that could chain with this flaw

bash

# Windows: check installed AMD PMF driver presence and version
pnputil /enum-drivers | findstr /I "AMDPMF"

# Windows: disable the AMD PMF service if the feature is not required
sc.exe query AMDPMF
sc.exe config AMDPMF start= disabled
sc.exe stop AMDPMF