CVE-2025-52540: AMD PMF Driver Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2025-52540 Overview

CVE-2025-52540 is an improper input validation flaw in the AMD Platform Management Framework (PMF) Driver. The vulnerability allows a local attacker with low-privilege access to perform an out-of-bounds write within the driver's memory space. Successful exploitation can lead to privilege escalation on affected systems. The flaw is tracked as [CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write] and is documented in the AMD Security Bulletin AMD-SB-4015. Because the PMF Driver operates at the kernel level on AMD client platforms, an attacker who controls input to the driver can corrupt kernel memory and gain SYSTEM-level execution.

Critical Impact

Local low-privileged users can trigger an out-of-bounds write in the AMD PMF kernel driver, leading to kernel-level privilege escalation with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

Affected Products

• AMD Platform Management Framework (PMF) Driver
• AMD client platforms shipping the PMF Driver (see AMD-SB-4015 for the device list)
• Systems running vulnerable PMF Driver versions prior to the AMD-supplied fix

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-05-15 - CVE-2025-52540 published to the National Vulnerability Database
• 2026-05-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-52540

Vulnerability Analysis

The AMD Platform Management Framework (PMF) is a software stack on AMD client platforms that coordinates power, thermal, and performance telemetry between the operating system, firmware, and the System Management Unit (SMU). The PMF Driver exposes a kernel interface that user-mode components can invoke to read sensor data and request platform actions.

CVE-2025-52540 originates in input validation logic inside this driver. When the driver processes a request from user mode, it fails to fully validate length, offset, or index fields supplied by the caller before writing to a kernel buffer. The result is an out-of-bounds write classified as [CWE-787].

Because the write occurs in kernel address space, an attacker can corrupt adjacent kernel data structures, function pointers, or token objects. With careful shaping of the kernel heap, this primitive is sufficient to overwrite a security descriptor or process token and elevate to SYSTEM. The attack requires only local access and low privileges, and no user interaction is needed.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper validation of attacker-controlled input fields inside a PMF Driver handler. The driver trusts size or index values from the caller and uses them in a write operation without enforcing the bounds of the destination buffer. See the AMD Security Bulletin AMD-SB-4015 for vendor-confirmed details.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local. An attacker first authenticates to the target system as a standard user. The attacker then opens a handle to the PMF Driver device and issues a crafted IOCTL or equivalent kernel request containing malicious length or offset values. The driver performs the unchecked write, corrupting kernel memory chosen by the attacker.

The vulnerability is not reachable from the network and is not exposed to unauthenticated users. Public exploit code is not available at the time of writing, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

No verified proof-of-concept code is available. Refer to the AMD advisory for technical specifics.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-52540

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected loading or reloading of the AMD PMF Driver (AMDPMF.sys or related driver binaries) by non-administrative processes.
• Standard user processes opening handles to the PMF Driver device object followed by anomalous IOCTL traffic.
• New SYSTEM-level processes spawning from parent processes that were previously running as a standard user.
• Kernel bug checks or unexpected reboots correlated with PMF Driver activity.

Detection Strategies

• Inventory endpoints to identify AMD systems running PMF Driver versions prior to the AMD-SB-4015 fix.
• Hunt for user-mode processes that open the PMF Driver device handle and immediately issue DeviceIoControl calls with unusual buffer sizes.
• Correlate token elevation events on AMD endpoints with prior PMF Driver interaction in the same process tree.
• Monitor for crash dumps referencing the PMF Driver image, which can indicate failed exploitation attempts.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable kernel driver load auditing and forward events to a centralized analytics platform for baselining.
• Alert on integrity-level transitions from Medium to System within short time windows on AMD client devices.
• Track installations and version changes of AMD chipset and PMF packages across the fleet.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-52540

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the AMD-supplied PMF Driver update referenced in AMD-SB-4015 as soon as it is available for your platform.
• Restrict local logon rights on AMD client systems to reduce the population of users who can reach the driver.
• Audit installed driver versions and prioritize patching on developer workstations and shared kiosks.

Patch Information

AMD has published security bulletin AMD-SB-4015 covering CVE-2025-52540. Customers should obtain the fixed PMF Driver version through OEM update channels or the AMD chipset driver package. Validate the deployed driver version against the fixed version listed in the bulletin.

Workarounds

• Where the PMF Driver is not required, disable or remove the driver until a patched version is installed.
• Apply Windows application control policies (such as WDAC) to block unsigned or unauthorized user-mode binaries that could be used as exploitation stagers.
• Enforce least-privilege access on affected endpoints to limit the set of accounts that can interact with the driver.

# Query the installed AMD PMF Driver version on a Windows endpoint
Get-WmiObject Win32_PnPSignedDriver | Where-Object { $_.DeviceName -like "*AMD*PMF*" } | Select-Object DeviceName, DriverVersion, DriverDate

# Verify the loaded kernel driver file version
Get-Item C:\Windows\System32\drivers\AMDPMF.sys | Select-Object Name, VersionInfo