CVE-2026-40677: The use of insecure HTTP transport within AMD optional tools could allow an attacker to conduct a man-in-the-middle attack, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution

Synopsis

This is a man-in-the-middle (MITM) vulnerability affecting AMD optional tools, specifically AMD Management Console, AMD Ryzen Master, and AMD uProf. The affected software communicates over plain HTTP rather than HTTPS, allowing a network-positioned attacker to intercept and tamper with traffic without any authentication. Successful exploitation enables the attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code on the target system. A patched-image rebuild is available on HarborGuard for environments running an affected version.

HarborGuard Coverage

Exploit Conditions

• Network reachabilityRequired

  The attacker must be positioned on the network path between the affected tool and its update or communication endpoint, reachable over the network due to the use of plain HTTP transport.

• AuthenticationNot required

  No credentials are needed; the attacker only needs a network-adjacent position to intercept unencrypted HTTP traffic.

• Victim interactionRequired

  A user on the target system must trigger a network request from the affected tool (for example, launching the application or initiating an update) for the attacker to inject a malicious payload.

• Attack complexityDetail

  While the exploit itself is straightforward once positioned, the attack requires the presence of specific conditions such as the attacker holding a man-in-the-middle position on the network path (AT:P), meaning the exploit is not condition-free.

Blast Radius

• An attacker who successfully injects a payload can execute arbitrary code on the target host with the privileges of the running AMD tool process.
• Confidential data accessible to that process, including system configuration and user session context, is exposed to the attacker.
• The attacker can modify or overwrite files and data accessible to the affected process, tampering with system state or installing persistent software.
• The affected tool process and any dependent services can be crashed or rendered unavailable.