retitle 1095470  amd64-microcode: CVE-2024-56161 updated AMD-SEV FW needed to 
pass attestation
severity 1095470 important
clone 1095470 -1
tag 1095470 + fixed-upstream
retitle -1  amd64-microcode: CVE-2024-36347 weak microcode update validation
tag -1 = upstream security wontfix
severity -1 important
thanks

Please let me clarify some details.  If this is incorrect, please provide 
pointers to the relevant documentation/artifacts:

There is NO *operating-system-loadable* microcode update available from AMD to 
address the root issue (weak microcode validation) at this time.   And public 
documentation states the root-cause fix must be done through a system firmware 
(UEFI) update.

https://www.amd.com/en/resources/product-security/bulletin/amd-sb-7033.html

Maybe this will change, and if it doesn't, maybe lesser mitigations (such as 
blocking further microcode updates) will become available: I understand running 
a minimal kernel-monitor secure hypervisor should be able to block the MSR 
writes that trigger a microcode update, for example.

So, AMD-SB-7033 / CVE-2024-36347 is unactionable by package amd64-microcode at 
this time.

I will clone the bug to split the two CVEs into their own bugs, and tag the one 
for CVE-2024-36347 "wontfix" accordingly.  I will also downgrade its severity 
to "important", since unactionable grave bugs can block actionable fixes from 
propagating to testing, etc.  Should the situation change (hopefully it will), 
we can revisit this.


Now, for CVE-2024-56161, which is the AMD-SEV side of the issue.

There is a pending AMD-SEV loadable firmware update from 2025/02/29, and I will 
package it soon (but I'd rather hear back from AMD about a few details, first). 
 However, I understand from AMD SB-3019 that the SEV firmware update will just 
ensure that SEV remote attestation can succeed on updated firmware.  It is 
relevant for CVE-2024-56161, yes, but it is NOT FIXING the underlying issue at 
all.

https://www.amd.com/en/resources/product-security/bulletin/amd-sb-3019.html

Note that CVE-2024-56161 is mitigated by ensuring no SEV payload attestation 
can succeed on outdated firmware (and you don't need to do anything for THAT: 
the SEV payload providers are already on it), and by allowing attestation to 
succeed on updated firmware.

What is missing in Debian is a way for SEV payloads to pass attestation *on 
systems with updated firmware*, and THAT is what the pending  SEV firmware 
update is about.  I changed the bug title accordingly.

Since AMD-SEV is *not* officially supported in Debian anyway, I will downgrade 
the SEV bug to severity to important as well.

More information about  AMD-SEV:
https://www.amd.com/en/developer/sev.html

-- 
  Henrique de Moraes Holschuh <h...@debian.org>

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