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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Gain low-privilege local execution
  2. Delivery
    Co-locate with higher-privilege context
  3. Exploit
    Contend for shared op cache
  4. Execution
    Corrupt cross-privilege instruction stream
  5. Impact
    Escalate to kernel/hypervisor privilege

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
CWE-1189
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires local code execution on an affected Zen 2-based AMD processor with at least low existing privileges (PR:L) - this is not remotely reachable. The attacker must be able to run code that shares the CPU operation cache with a higher-privilege victim context (e.g., an unprivileged process targeting the kernel, or a guest VM targeting the hypervisor, per Xen XSA-490). Exploitation is materially limited by high attack complexity (AC:H): it depends on microarchitectural resource contention and precise timing rather than a deterministic bug, no user interaction is available to the attacker to force the condition, and it only applies to Zen 2-generation silicon listed in AMD-SB-7052 - newer or older AMD microarchitectures are out of scope. SSVC rates it not automatable.
Impact

The signals converge on a moderate, not urgent, priority. The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N with total VC:H/VI:H/VA:H impact) shows that while the consequence is severe (full compromise of the vulnerable system, hence SSVC Technical Impact = total), the preconditions are demanding: local access, existing low privileges, and high attack complexity typical of microarchitectural timing/contention attacks. This is corroborated by the SSVC framework (Exploitation: none, Automatable: no) and by the EPSS score of 0.01% at the 2nd percentile, indicating essentially no expectation of near-term mass exploitation. It is not in CISA KEV and no POC is referenced. The main risk case is a multi-tenant or defense-in-depth scenario (e.g., a guest attacking a hypervisor - reflected by the Xen XSA-490 advisory) where op-cache sharing crosses a trust boundary. No signals conflict; all point to a real but hard-to-exploit, locally-scoped hardware weakness.
Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who already holds a low-privilege local foothold - for example an unprivileged local user or a co-resident VM guest on a Zen 2 host - repeatedly contends for the shared op cache to corrupt decoded instructions consumed by a higher-privileged context, steering execution to escalate to kernel or hypervisor privilege. The high attack complexity means the technique requires precise microarchitectural timing and is not point-and-click; no public exploit code is currently identified.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.0% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Jul 23, 2026

Local privilege escalation affects AMD Zen 2-based processors (Ryzen 3000/4000/5000 series, Threadripper PRO 3000 WX, EPYC 7002, and various embedded parts) where improper isolation of shared resources in the CPU operation cache lets a low-privileged attacker corrupt instructions executed at a higher privilege level. Reported by AMD and tracked as AMD-SB-7052 (with parallel Xen XSA-490 and Linux/OS-vendor advisories), it carries a CVSS 4.0 base score of 7.3 but requires local access and high attack complexity. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, and the EPSS probability is negligible at 0.01% (2nd percentile).

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor-released firmware/microcode update for your specific platform per AMD-SB-7052 (https://www.amd.com/en/resources/product-security/bulletin/AMD-SB-7052.html): update system BIOS/UEFI to the fixed AGESA image for your part, for example ComboAM4v2 1.2.0.10 or ComboAM4PI 1.0.0.10 for Ryzen 3000/4000/5000 desktop, CezannePI-FP6_1.0.1.1d for Ryzen 5000/7030 mobile, RenoirPI-FP6_1.0.0.Ed for Ryzen 4000 mobile, MendocinoPI-FT6_1.0.0.7f for Ryzen 7020, ChagallWSPI-sWRX8-1.0.0.D or CastlePeakWSPI-sWRX8 1.0.0.I for Threadripper PRO 3000 WX, and EmbeddedV2KAPI-FP6 1.0.0.A / EmbeddedPI-FP6_1.0.0.D for embedded V2000A/V2000; for EPYC 7002 and EPYC Embedded 7002 the fix is delivered via OS kernel microcode/mitigation, so apply the corresponding OS updates (Ubuntu USN-8566-1/8567-1/8568-1, and Red Hat's advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-54518). Virtualization hosts should also apply the Xen mitigation (http://xenbits.xen.org/xsa/advisory-490.html). Because this is a hardware isolation defect with no true configuration workaround, the primary compensating control until firmware can be staged is to restrict local/low-privilege code execution on affected hosts - for multi-tenant systems, limit untrusted guest or user workloads on Zen 2 hardware, accepting the trade-off of reduced consolidation density; firmware updates themselves may carry a minor performance impact.

Affected VersionsENISA

AMD Ryzen™ 3000 Series Desktop Processors patch: ComboAM4v2 1.2.0.10
AMD Ryzen™ 4000 Series Mobile Processors with Radeon™ Graphics patch: RenoirPI-FP6_1.0.0.Ed
AMD Ryzen™ 5000 Series Desktop Processors with Radeon™ Graphics patch: ComboAM4v2 1.2.0.10
AMD Ryzen™ 3000 Series Desktop Processors patch: ComboAM4PI 1.0.0.10
AMD Ryzen™ 7030 Series Mobile Processors with Radeon™ Graphics patch: CezannePI-FP6_1.0.1.1d
AMD Ryzen™ 4000 Series Desktop Processors patch: ComboAM4v2 1.2.0.10
AMD Ryzen Embedded V2000A Series Processors patch: EmbeddedV2KAPI-FP6 1.0.0.A
AMD Ryzen™ 5000 Series Mobile Processors with Radeon™ Graphics patch: CezannePI-FP6_1.0.1.1d
AMD EPYC™ Embedded 7002 Series Processors patch: OS kernel
AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ PRO 3000 WX-Series Processors patch: ChagallWSPI-sWRX8-1.0.0.D
AMD EPYC™ 7002 Series Processors patch: os kernel
AMD Ryzen™ Embedded V2000 Series Processors patch: EmbeddedPI-FP6_1.0.0.D
AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ PRO 3000 WX-Series Processors patch: CastlePeakWSPI-sWRX8 1.0.0.I
AMD Ryzen™ 7020 Series Processors with Radeon™ Graphics patch: MendocinoPI-FT6_1.0.0.7f

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Technical ContextAI · show details

The flaw is rooted in CWE-1189 (Improper Isolation of Shared Resources on a System-on-a-Chip), applied here to a microarchitectural structure - the operation/op cache - inside AMD's Zen 2 core design. The op cache stores decoded micro-operations to accelerate instruction fetch; because this resource is shared across privilege domains without adequate isolation, an attacker running at one privilege level can influence or corrupt the decoded instruction stream consumed at a different (higher) privilege level. The CPE set confirms the affected silicon spans client and server: EPYC 7002 series, Ryzen 3000/4000 desktop, Ryzen 4000/5000/7030 mobile with Radeon graphics, Ryzen 7020 series, Threadripper PRO 3000 WX, and Ryzen Embedded V2000/V2000A parts. Because the defect is in hardware, remediation is delivered as microcode/AGESA firmware updates (and OS-kernel-level mitigations for the EPYC parts).

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Severity by source

Vendor (AMD) PRIMARY 7.3 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 7.0 HIGH

Local vector and low privileges required, high complexity due to microarchitectural contention; full C/I/A impact on the compromised system with no scope change to another authority.

3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE 7.4 HIGH
AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Red Hat 7.0 HIGH

Primary rating from Vendor (AMD).

CVSS VectorVendor: AMD

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
High
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

2
CVE Published
May 15, 2026 - 03:06 nvd
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)
CVE Published
May 15, 2026 - 03:06 cve.org
HIGH 7.3

DescriptionCVE.org

Improper isolation of shared resources within the CPU operation cache on Zen 2-based products could allow an attacker to corrupt instructions executed at a different privilege level, potentially resulting in privilege escalation.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

CVE-2025-54518 affects AMD Zen 2-based processors (Ryzen 3000/4000/5000, Threadripper PRO, EPYC 7002), enabling local privilege escalation through CPU cache manipulation. Organizations deploying these widely-used processors face risk of insider or low-privileged user compromise, potentially granting attackers administrative access and data exposure. No public exploit identified at time of analysis; vendor patch available.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.0%
Top 98% exploitable
Prevalence
High
Zen 2 powers widely deployed Ryzen desktops/laptops and EPYC 7002 servers
Vendor Status
Publicly Disclosed:No
Exploited:No
Latest Software Release:Exploitation Unlikely
Social Media
3
Sightings
Data Quality
7 sources
Confidence: High
EUVD NVD CVE.org EPSS Vulnrichment MSRC Vendor CIRCL VulDB

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.0%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

36
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +36
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Privilege Escalation HIGH

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.

More in Amd Epyc 7002 Series Processors

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7.1 Apr 16

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Same weakness CWE-1189 – Improper Isolation of Shared Resources on System-on-a-Chip (SoC)

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CVE-2023-31325 HIGH
7.2
CVE-2024-36332 MEDIUM
6.8
CVE-2025-54514

Same technique Privilege Escalation

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CVE-2024-0012 CRITICAL POC
9.3
CVE-2025-47812 CRITICAL POC
10.0
CVE-2013-0422 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2013-0632 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2024-9474 MEDIUM POC
6.9
CVE-2017-5689 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2021-20021 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2017-12635 CRITICAL POC
9.8

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: High
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 Fixed
openSUSE Tumbleweed Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP4 Affected

References

Advisories & patches
ADVISORY https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-54518 ADVISORY https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8566-1 ADVISORY https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8567-1 ADVISORY https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8568-1 ADVISORY https://vuldb.com/vuln/363117 REF http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/12/15 REF http://xenbits.xen.org/xsa/advisory-490.html REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:50978 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:50979 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:53329 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:53989 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:53990 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:54769 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55444 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:56573 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57402 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57457 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57543 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:59091 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:59831 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:60019 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:62549 REF https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-54518 REF https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2477784 REF https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2025/cve-2025-54518.json REF https://www.amd.com/en/resources/product-security/bulletin/AMD-SB-7052.html

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