Skip to main content

Update your AMD Ryzen drivers now to avoid password leaks

AMD released a new chipset driver in August that patched “critical security flaws,” but it didn’t mention which vulnerabilities the patch worked for. In a report published last week, cybersecurity researchers disclosed a vulnerability in the driver that would allow attackers to steal sensitive information like passwords, and it impacts all Ryzen processors, as well as several previous AMD generations.

The vulnerability (CVE-2021-26333) exists in AMD’s Platform Security Processor (PSP) chipset driver. The PSP works with the operating system to store sensitive information in secured parts of memory, and it’s usually only accessible by administrators.

AMD Ryzen processor in a motherboard.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Kyriakos Economou, co-founder of security research firm ZeroPeril, published a report last week that said non-privileged users could exploit the driver to access the sensitive information stored in memory, according to The Record. Originally, AMD listed the vulnerability as only affecting Ryzen 1000 processors. The report says that all desktop and mobile Ryzen processors are affected, and AMD has updated its security disclosure since.

Recommended Videos

The attack focuses in the motherboard chipset, so it doesn’t apply if you have an AMD graphics card without an AMD processor (though another security flaw is posing a risk to AMD cards at the moment).

According to the report, Economou was able to leak “several gigabytes” of data. The exploit also allows attackers to get around mitigations like kernel address space layout randomization (KASLR), which protect against attacks that exploit a known address for the kernel. With these exploits, attackers can steal sensitive information like passwords and gain deeper permissions in a network.

Although scary, AMD has already patched the vulnerability with a new PSP chipset driver, which rolled out last week through Microsoft’s September Patch Tuesday. Read on learn how to update your drivers to make sure you have the latest version.

How to protect yourself

The latest version of the AMD PSP driver is 5.17.0.0, which is part of AMD Chipset Driver 3.08.17.735. You can install the driver manually, but it’s available now through Windows Update. To patch, press Windows Key + S, type “update,” and select Check for Updates. That will bring you to the Windows Update page.

Windows Update restarted required.
screenshot / Digital Trends

Then select Check for Updates and install any that are available. After that’s done, make sure to restart your computer to apply the new patches. Alternatively, you can download AMD’s auto-detect tool to install the latest Ryzen chipset drivers to your system. If you go this route, make sure to know your motherboard’s chipset and be certain that AMD PSP Driver is checked during the chipset driver installation.

If you arrive at Windows Update and don’t see anything, you can check to see if you have the latest chipset driver installed. Press Windows Key + X and select Device Manager. Expand the Security Devices list, right-click on AMD PSP, and select Properties. In the window that opens, select the Driver tab to view your driver version.

The secure version is 5.17.0.0, so you’ll need to update if your driver version is different. Although the vulnerability is mainly focused on recent Ryzen processors, it actually affects many generations of AMD CPUs. Here’s the full list:

  • 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen Mobile Processor with Radeon Graphics
  • 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen Threadripper processor
  • 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen Threadripper Processors
  • 6th Generation AMD A series CPU with Radeon Graphics
  • 6th Generation AMD A-Series Mobile Processor
  • 6th Generation AMD FX APU with Radeon R7 Graphics
  • 7th Generation AMD A-Series APUs
  • 7th Generation AMD A-Series Mobile Processor
  • 7th Generation AMD E-Series Mobile Processor
  • AMD A4-Series APU with Radeon Graphics
  • AMD A6 APU with Radeon R5 Graphics
  • AMD A8 APU with Radeon R6 Graphics
  • AMD A10 APU with Radeon R6 Graphics
  • AMD 3000 Series Mobile Processors with Radeon Graphics
  • AMD Athlon 3000 Series Mobile Processors with Radeon Graphics
  • AMD Athlon Mobile Processors with Radeon Graphics
  • AMD Athlon X4 Processor
  • AMD Athlon 3000 Series Mobile Processors with Radeon Graphics
  • AMD Athlon X4 Processor
  • AMD E1-Series APU with Radeon Graphics
  • AMD Ryzen 1000 series Processor
  • AMD Ryzen 2000 series Desktop Processor
  • AMD Ryzen 2000 series Mobile Processor
  • AMD Ryzen 3000 Series Desktop Processor
  • AMD Ryzen 3000 series Mobile Processor with Radeon Graphics
  • AMD Ryzen 3000 series Mobile Processor
  • AMD Ryzen 4000 Series Desktop Processor with Radeon Graphics
  • AMD Ryzen 5000 Series Desktop Processor
  • AMD Ryzen 5000 Series Desktop Processor with Radeon Graphics
  • AMD Ryzen 5000 Series Mobile Processors with Radeon Graphics
  • AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO Processor
  • AMD Ryzen Threadripper Processor
Jacob Roach
Former Lead Reporter, PC Hardware
Jacob Roach is the lead reporter for PC hardware at Digital Trends. In addition to covering the latest PC components, from…
AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Go disappoints in early benchmark
The Lenovo Legion Go S sitting on a window.

A recent YouTube video has showcased the gaming capabilities of AMD's upcoming Ryzen Z2 Go chipset, designed for budget gaming handhelds. As part of the new Ryzen Z2 lineup, the Z2 Go’s capabilities were tested on a Lenovo Legion Go S and compared to last year’s Z1 Extreme powering the Asus ROG Ally X.

According to gaming performance data shared by FPS VN, the Z2 Go shows some limitations compared to the Z1 Extreme. In Black Myth: Wukong, it achieved 36 fps versus 40 fps at 15W, 30 fps versus 32 fps at 20W, and 60 fps versus 64 fps at 30W. In Cyberpunk 2077, the Z2 Go delivered 50 fps compared to 54 fps at 15W, 45 fps versus 47 fps at 20W, and 61 fps compared to 66 fps at 30W. Similarly, in Ghost of Tsushima, the Z2 Go hits 62 fps versus 66 fps at 15W, 48 fps versus 52 fps at 20W, and 62 fps versus 66 fps at 30W. Although the performance gap is minor, it remains consistent at around 7–10% across all tested games.

Read more
AMD’s new Ryzen Z2 chip promises ‘console-class’ performance for handhelds
Steam Deck and ROG Ally sitting together on a table.

As AMD confirmed to Digital Trends last year, the new range of Ryzen Z2 chips is here to kick off 2025. Announced during AMD's CES 2025 keynote, there are three models that make up the Ryzen Z2 range, which AMD says is designed to meet the "explosive demand" for handheld gaming PCs. Although we don't have any specific devices featuring the Ryzen Z2 range yet, AMD says "you'll see [the Ryzen Z2] coming to market from a number of partners -- the Legion Go, the ROG Ally, the Steam Deck."

You can see how the range breaks down below. Similar to AMD's first generation of handheld APUs, we're getting both a base Ryzen Z2 and an Extreme variant. Both come with eight cores and 16 threads, but the Z2 Extreme boasts 16 graphics cores compared to 12 on the base Ryzen Z2. The Ryzen Z2 Extreme can also climb a bit higher, up to 35 watts. Compared to the Ryzen Z1 range, both of these chips also come with a boost to 24MB of cache, compared to 16MB on the Ryzen Z1 Extreme.

Read more
AMD is doing a victory lap with the new Ryzen 9 9950X3D
AMD announcing the 9950X3D.

At this point, AMD has been on top when we're talking about the best processors for gaming, but it still took CES 2025 to do a victory lap and extend its lead. Opening up the keynote address, AMD revealed the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D, both of which will be available in the first quarter of this year.

The performance here doesn't sway things much, as AMD has already claimed the top slot for gaming processors with its wildly popular Ryzen 7 9800X3D. As you can see below, however, AMD claims an 8% lead over last-gen's Ryzen 9 7950X3D on average after testing 40 games. Unsurprisingly, graphically intensive games like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Black Myth: Wukong see little benefit, but AMD is claiming a lead as large as 58% in a game like Counter-Strike 2. 

Read more