AMD Firmware Update Removes Memory Encryption From Consumer Ryzen CPUs
AMD appears to have disabled Transparent Secure Memory Encryption (TSME) on non-Pro Ryzen processors through newer AGESA 1.2.7.0 firmware, leaving the feature reported as unsupported on consumer systems that previously exposed it. Security researcher Ben Kilpatrick traced the change after noticing TSME had disappeared on his Ryzen system, and testing by MSI engineers found the same pattern on MSI and Gigabyte motherboards: older AGESA firmware showed TSME enabled on consumer Ryzen chips, while newer firmware did not. Ryzen Pro processors continued to report TSME support across both motherboard vendors and firmware versions.
AMD has not publicly clarified whether the change was an intentional product restriction or an unintended regression. In responses on AMD’s public engineering GitHub, engineers suggested checking the BIOS setting and escalating unresolved cases to motherboard vendors, while a cited official statement said TSME is part of AMD PRO Technologies and applies only to Pro CPUs. The loss of TSME may reduce defenses against physical memory attacks, including cold-boot attacks, DRAM snooping, and memory extraction from removed modules, and users may have difficulty detecting the change, particularly on Windows systems.
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How this story unfolded
4 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
AMD statement says TSME is only part of PRO CPU security features
An AMD statement cited in reporting said TSME is a security feature applied only to PRO CPUs as part of AMD PRO Technologies. This contrasted with prior observations that consumer Ryzen chips had shown TSME support under older firmware.
Kilpatrick files public AMD GitHub bug report on TSME issue
Kilpatrick filed a bug report on AMD's public engineering GitHub repository about TSME no longer appearing supported on consumer Ryzen systems. AMD engineers replied by suggesting a BIOS toggle and, if that failed, escalation to the motherboard vendor, without clearly explaining the change.
Researcher Ben Kilpatrick investigates missing TSME support
Ben Kilpatrick investigated why TSME was no longer reported as supported on his consumer AMD Ryzen CPU and documented the discrepancy between older and newer firmware behavior. His work helped surface the issue publicly as a possible restriction or regression affecting non-Pro Ryzen chips.
New AGESA firmware stops reporting TSME on consumer Ryzen CPUs
Testing by MSI engineers found that consumer AMD Ryzen CPUs on MSI and Gigabyte motherboards showed Transparent Secure Memory Encryption enabled with older AMD AGESA firmware, but newer AGESA 1.2.7.0 reported the feature as unsupported. Ryzen Pro CPUs continued to support TSME across both motherboard vendors and firmware versions.
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AMD silently removes memory encryption from consumer Ryzen CPUs, leaving users unaware that they may be vulnerable - security feature vanishes after newer AGESA firmware, AMD engineers go radio silent when pressed about the change | Tom's Hardware
tomshardware.com
Open sourceUsers cry foul after AMD stripped memory crypto from its consumer CPUs - Ars Technica
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