CVE-2025-48502 in μProf
Summary
by MITRE • 11/21/2025
Improper input validation within AMD uprof can allow a local attacker to overwrite MSR registers, potentially resulting in crash or denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-48502 resides within AMD's uprof utility, a component designed for profiling and monitoring system performance. This flaw represents a critical security weakness that stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the uprof subsystem. The issue manifests when local attackers exploit improperly validated inputs to manipulate the utility's behavior, creating a pathway for unauthorized modification of system registers.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the insufficient sanitization of user-supplied data within the uprof utility. When the system processes input parameters, it fails to properly validate or sanitize the data before using it to interact with hardware registers. This deficiency allows an attacker to craft malicious inputs that bypass normal validation checks, enabling direct manipulation of Model Specific Registers. The improper input validation creates a condition where untrusted data can flow into register modification operations, violating fundamental security principles of input sanitization and access control.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to system stability and availability. Local attackers who can execute code on the target system can leverage this flaw to overwrite MSR registers, potentially causing system crashes or denial of service conditions. The impact extends beyond simple disruption as the ability to modify hardware registers can compromise system integrity and potentially enable more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability affects systems running AMD processors where the uprof utility is present, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments where such profiling tools are commonly deployed.
The exploitability of CVE-2025-48502 aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and script interpreter execution, as attackers would need to invoke the uprof utility with malicious inputs. Additionally, this vulnerability maps to CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and CWE-787, which addresses out-of-bounds write conditions. The attack surface is limited to local users with access to the uprof utility, but this privilege escalation path can be particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where attackers might gain initial access through other means.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of affected AMD software components and implementation of proper input validation controls within the uprof utility. System administrators should consider disabling the uprof utility if it is not actively required for system monitoring purposes. Additional protective measures include implementing process monitoring to detect unusual register modification patterns and applying principle of least privilege controls to limit access to the profiling utility. The vulnerability highlights the importance of robust input validation in system utilities that interface directly with hardware components, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security testing of privileged system tools.