CVE-2026-0455 in Adaptive SoCs
Summary
by MITRE • 11/12/2026
The Versal™ AI Edge Series Gen 2 Peripheral Protection Unit (XPPU) for the inter-processor interrupt (IPI) buffers does not block unauthorized access as expected. This allows processors in the SoC with any IPI channel access the ability to both read and write to the entire IPI buffer register space as well as the IPI no-buffer register control space.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/12/2026
The Versal AI Edge Series Gen 2 Peripheral Protection Unit, commonly referred to as XPPU, serves as a critical hardware security component within AMD's system-on-chip architecture. Its primary function is to enforce memory protection and access controls for various peripheral interfaces, ensuring that only authorized processors or subsystems can interact with specific hardware resources. In the context of inter-processor interrupts, which are essential mechanisms for communication between different cores in a multi-core environment, the XPPU is designed to restrict access to interrupt buffers and control registers based on predefined security domains and privilege levels. This mechanism prevents lower-privilege or unauthorized entities from interfering with critical system operations managed by higher-privilege processors such as hypervisors or secure boot firmware.
The identified vulnerability represents a fundamental failure in the access control logic of the XPPU when handling inter-processor interrupt buffers. Specifically, the protection unit fails to properly validate and block requests originating from unauthorized sources within the SoC. Instead of restricting access based on the requesting processor's assigned permissions for specific IPI channels, the flaw allows any processor possessing an active IPI channel connection to bypass these restrictions entirely. This architectural oversight means that the hardware-level enforcement mechanism intended to isolate interrupt handling resources is effectively neutralized, creating a significant gap in the chip's internal security perimeter.
The technical consequence of this flaw is severe and far-reaching. An attacker who gains code execution on any processor core within the SoC can exploit this misconfiguration to read from and write to the entire IPI buffer register space as well as the associated no-buffer control registers. This unrestricted access enables several malicious activities, including but not limited to eavesdropping on inter-processor communications, injecting fake interrupt requests to disrupt system stability or trigger denial-of-service conditions, and potentially escalating privileges by manipulating state information that relies on these interrupts for synchronization between cores. By modifying the IPI buffers, an attacker could cause a target processor to execute unintended code paths or ignore legitimate critical alerts, thereby compromising both confidentiality and integrity of the system's internal operations.
From a classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Improper Access Control, as it involves a failure in restricting access to resources based on user identity or role. Furthermore, under the MITRE ATT&CK framework for hardware vulnerabilities, this behavior is consistent with techniques related to Peripheral Device Discovery and potentially Inter-Process Communication manipulation if leveraged for lateral movement within the SoC environment. The flaw essentially undermines the isolation guarantees provided by the hardware security model, allowing cross-domain interference that should be physically prevented at the silicon level.
Mitigation strategies must address both immediate operational risks and long-term architectural fixes. For deployed systems where patching is not immediately feasible, administrators should enforce strict software-level access controls to ensure that only trusted, high-privilege processes can initiate IPI operations. It is crucial to minimize the number of cores or subsystems with active IPI channels in production environments unless absolutely necessary for performance optimization. Additionally, runtime monitoring solutions capable of detecting anomalous interrupt patterns may help identify exploitation attempts before they cause significant damage. However, these are compensating controls rather than definitive fixes. The root cause lies within the silicon design and firmware implementation of the XPPU logic itself.
The most effective resolution requires a hardware revision or a microcode update from AMD that corrects the access control verification process in the Peripheral Protection Unit. This patch must ensure that every request to read or write IPI buffers is rigorously checked against the requesting processor's authorized channel list and privilege level before granting access. Until such an update is available, system designers should assume that any core with basic interrupt capability poses a potential risk if compromised by malware or exploit code. Continuous monitoring of security advisories from AMD regarding Versal AI Edge Series Gen 2 updates remains essential for maintaining the integrity of systems relying on this hardware platform for secure multi-core processing tasks.