CVE-2023-31365 in Radeon RX 7000 Graphics Products
Summary
by MITRE • 09/06/2025
An integer overflow in the SMU could allow a privileged attacker to potentially write memory beyond the end of the reserved dRAM area resulting in loss of integrity or availability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/06/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-31365 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the System Management Unit of certain processor architectures. This issue resides in the memory management subsystem where the SMU operates with privileged execution privileges, making it particularly dangerous for attackers who can leverage such conditions to escalate their access levels. The vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking during memory allocation operations within the dRAM area management system, where integer overflow conditions can occur when calculating memory boundaries for reserved regions. This flaw specifically affects systems where the SMU is responsible for managing memory resources and executing privileged operations, creating a potential attack surface that could be exploited by adversaries with sufficient privileges to manipulate the affected memory management functions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves integer arithmetic operations that fail to properly validate input parameters before performing calculations that determine memory boundaries. When the SMU processes memory allocation requests or manages dRAM reserved areas, it performs arithmetic operations that can result in integer overflow conditions, causing the calculated memory addresses to wrap around or exceed the intended boundaries. This overflow typically occurs in scenarios where large memory requests are processed or when multiple allocation operations are performed sequentially without proper overflow detection. The flaw manifests when the system attempts to write to memory locations that extend beyond the originally allocated dRAM area, potentially overwriting adjacent memory regions or corrupting system-critical data structures. The vulnerability can be triggered through legitimate system operations that involve memory management functions or through malicious manipulation of memory allocation parameters by an attacker with appropriate privileges.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-31365 extends beyond simple memory corruption, as it can lead to significant system integrity and availability compromises. When an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can potentially overwrite critical system data, modify memory contents in ways that could cause system instability, or even gain further privileges by corrupting memory management structures. The consequences may include denial of service conditions where system operations fail due to corrupted memory states, data integrity violations that compromise sensitive information, or more severe scenarios where the attacker can manipulate system behavior through carefully crafted memory writes. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning in environments where the SMU handles critical system functions or where memory management operations are frequent and involve large data structures. The integer overflow condition can result in unpredictable system behavior, making detection and remediation particularly challenging for security teams who must account for the potential for both immediate system failures and more subtle long-term integrity issues.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-31365 should focus on both immediate patching and architectural safeguards to prevent exploitation. System administrators should prioritize applying vendor-provided patches that address the integer overflow conditions in the SMU memory management code, ensuring that all affected systems receive updates promptly. Additionally, implementing memory protection mechanisms such as address space layout randomization and stack canaries can help reduce the effectiveness of exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, which describes integer overflow conditions, and may map to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and memory corruption. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous memory access patterns or unexpected memory modifications that might indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments of system memory management functions and privileged execution environments should be conducted to identify potential similar vulnerabilities. The mitigation approach should include comprehensive testing of patch deployments to ensure that the integer overflow conditions are properly resolved without introducing new compatibility issues or performance degradation in system operations.