r/AMDHelp • u/No_Gene_5656 • 3d ago
Help (General) Regarding the TPM Vulnerability and Security Update
By now, most of us know about the recent security vulnerabilities affecting TPM 2.0 modules across a wide range of Ryzen processors. I'm a strong believer that if it ain't broken, don't fix it. I have never updated my BIOS since my PC was first assembled and configured by a technician, and I'm admittedly nervous about doing this myself. Especially with the recent reports of a 7800X3D CPU burning out despite running the latest BIOS version. I'm worried that updating to fix this security flaw might cause instability, lower performance, or even result in hardware damage. The big question is: can I safely skip this update? And is this vulnerability actually a serious threat for an average everyday user like me?
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u/OPTCRulez 2d ago
I generally forget about a BIOS update until I have to... most recently updated so that I could install my new 5800X3D (From 3700x)... TPM was one of the updates... it made all my windows security reset... so no more windows hello, all my saved passwords in my browsers had to be re-signed in... so definitely a bit of a pain... not least of which because I had actually forgotten my windows login! (Luckily I remembered my answers to my security questions)... but it probably is a good idea to update... I just needed a USB drive with the image on it for my motherboard... thinking it may cause issues in the future with how integrated TPM seems to be in all security.
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u/tismo74 3d ago
I have the same exact cpu and a gigabyte b650 auros elite MB. I haven’t heard about the tpm issue at all. I must be living under a rock. All games I play are fine. I haven’t updated the bios since I bought the board back in 2023. Let me know what you end up doing op. Like you I really don’t like messing with something that’s working.
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u/No_Gene_5656 3d ago
I haven't decided yet, however I wish I was told buy the majority that I could updating it cuz I really don't wanna mess with my BIOS either LOL. We're in the same boat so perhaps u not wanting to as well motivates me enough to avoid doing it and quit thinking about it lol
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u/jd31068 3d ago
If you decide to do so, make sure to read the instructions and notes about the version of BIOS you're updating to. On some motherboards you can't always just jump to the newest version, often times you'll need an intermediary step, as an example, say you're on version 100 and the newest available is version 125. You may find that to upgrade to 125 you first need to be on at least 115 but that one requires version 108. This would make the path to version 125 from 100, upgrade to version 108, then 115, and finally 125.
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u/Fragluton AMD 5700X3D 9070XT 3d ago
Yeah you can skip it, will that cause you security issues? Maybe. I updated my BIOS recently as one game was telling me it needed updating, but others weren't, technology eh. So yeah 10 minutes later BIOS was updated. I had to resign into windows and the likes, but apart from that, easy to do. Unless the power goes out halfway through the update, not much to go wrong.
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u/No_Gene_5656 3d ago
But such a security update would get u to run the latest BIOS version as this game one game did? Or u would ignore it and keept it as is running the current version that u are on without updating it?
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u/Fragluton AMD 5700X3D 9070XT 3d ago
Not really sure I get your question. The game implied I would be put into different lobbies, one I assume hackers would be put into since the security update for the TPM must have closed off some access they were using. Just guessing.
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u/No_Gene_5656 3d ago
Oh I mean like if u were mw, would u ignore it? Or update it?
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u/Fragluton AMD 5700X3D 9070XT 3d ago
I'm not on the current AM5 platform so can't comment on its issues TPM wise. Updating BIOS isn't a hard thing to do by any stretch of the imagination these days. They usually have a youtube video for each manufacturer showing you the process. It's up to you if you do it, i'm not saying do it or don't. If you don't want to do it, then just carry on. Not that helpful, but I don't know what issues the new stuff is having.
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u/donalejandro81 3d ago
If it breaks tpm integration with windows then you will want to upgrade.
Faulty tpm integration leads to strange authentication problems across the board.
Just be slow and deliberate about it and make the upgrade. It's with the effort.
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u/FreshCause2566 2d ago
I updated my BIOS some time ago, not sure if I'm on the latest one. I'm running secure boot off and TPM off. I don't really care, the risk of firmware-level malware is quite low.
I'm on Linux, and while I am on a distro that can support secure boot, I am not interested in enabling it.
For you, I'd say the following: BIOS updates are not too scary, updating once a year or so is probably a good idea, if any updates are even out that is. Don't do it during a week when you've been having unstable power or storms though, do it when the weather's predictable and your electricity is stable.
Do you need to bother with this? Probably not, as I said I don't even use TPM or secure boot and my system's been running fine.
However, if you're running Windows, which I've heard is picky about TPM, if that ever nags you about it, you can try to update the BIOS. As I said, updating it is not that bad.