AMD silently removes memory encryption from consumer Ryzen CPUs
Scored daily by a customisable AI persona to surface the most relevant engineering leadership news.
AMD silently removing memory encryption is a critical security issue for cloud infrastructure and platform engineering.
AMD silently removed Transparent Secure Memory Encryption (TSME) from consumer Ryzen CPUs starting with AGESA 1.2.7.0 firmware, leaving users unaware of the missing protection against physical memory attacks. The change is undetectable on Windows and requires significant technical effort to identify on Linux, as discovered by a user running a Ryzen 7 9700X (Zen 5) who found TSME disabled despite BIOS settings. AMD engineers initially engaged on GitHub but then went silent, with the company only later stating TSME is reserved for PRO CPUs, contradicting years of availability on consumer chips.
Etiido Uko — Etiido Uko is a news contributor for Tom's Hardware covering the latest updates in big tech and the PC industry. He is a mechanical engineer and senior technical writer with over nine years of experience in documentation and reporting. He is deeply passionate about all things engineering and technology, and is an expert in gadgets, manufacturing, robotics, automotive, and aerospace.