CVE-2023-31364
Received Received - Intake
Denial of Service via Memory Write Flood in IOMMU

Publication date: 2026-02-26

Last updated on: 2026-02-26

Assigner: Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

Description
Improper handling of direct memory writes in the input-output memory management unit could allow a malicious guest virtual machine (VM) to flood a host with writes, potentially causing a fatal machine check error resulting in denial of service.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-02-26
Last Modified
2026-02-26
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-02-26
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-14
NVD
CVE-2023-31364
EUVD
EUVD-2023-35675
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 3 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
amd epyc 7001
amd epyc 9005
amd embedded *
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-119 The product performs operations on a memory buffer, but it reads from or writes to a memory location outside the buffer's intended boundary. This may result in read or write operations on unexpected memory locations that could be linked to other variables, data structures, or internal program data.
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Executive Summary

[{'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'CVE-2023-31364 is a high-severity vulnerability in AMD processors involving improper handling of direct memory writes in the input-output memory management unit (IOMMU).'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'A malicious guest virtual machine (VM) can exploit this flaw to flood the host system with malformed System Management Interrupts (SMIs), which can trigger a fatal machine check error (MCE) on the host.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': "This results in a system crash causing denial of service (DoS) for all co-located guest VMs. The vulnerability exploits incorrect memory access and the system's error-handling mechanisms."}] [1]

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on affected AMD systems by crashing the host machine.

If you run virtualized environments on AMD EPYC server or embedded processors, a malicious guest VM could exploit this flaw to disrupt all co-located guest VMs by triggering a fatal machine check error.

This can lead to system downtime, loss of availability, and potential disruption of services relying on the affected hardware.

Compliance Impact

I don't know

Detection Guidance

I don't know

Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, users should obtain and apply the appropriate BIOS or firmware updates provided by their Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) that correspond to their specific AMD EPYC processors.

AMD has released specific firmware fixes for various EPYC series processors between June and December 2025. Applying these updates will address the improper handling of direct memory writes in the input-output memory management unit (IOMMU) that could otherwise allow a malicious guest VM to cause a denial of service.

Users of AMD Athlon 3000 Series Mobile Processors with Radeon Graphics and AMD Ryzen Embedded 5000 Series Processors are less likely to be affected, and no fixes are planned for these client processors.

Prompt application of these updates is critical to reduce the risk of exploitation.

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