AMD victim of Navi 10, Navi 21 and Arden GPU source code theft

Posted on Thursday, March 26 2020 @ 16:36 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
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In a statement on the company's website, AMD discloses that it was the victim of theft of some of it graphics intellectual property. The chip designer believes the hacked files are not core to the competitiveness or security of its products, and is working with law enforcement as part of an ongoing criminal investigation:
At AMD, data security and the protection of our intellectual property are a priority. In December 2019, we were contacted by someone who claimed to have test files related to a subset of our current and future graphics products, some of which were recently posted online, but have since been taken down.

While we are aware the perpetrator has additional files that have not been made public, we believe the stolen graphics IP is not core to the competitiveness or security of our graphics products. We are not aware of the perpetrator possessing any other AMD IP.

We are working closely with law enforcement officials and other experts as a part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
TorrentFreak has more details about the matter. The site reports that AMD filed DMCA takedown notices against two Github repositories that contained stolen source code related to AMD's Nave 10, Navi 21 and Arden GPUs. The latter is the codename of the GPU that will be used by the next-gen Xbox Series X console.

GitHub responded by taking down the sourcode code. TorrentFreak tracked down the leaker and was able to ask her some questions. The Navi GPU source code was reportedly discovered in November 2019, via a non-targeted attack:
“In November 2019, I found AMD Navi GPU hardware source codes in a hacked computer,” the person explained. “The user didn’t take any effective action against the leak of the codes.”

“The source code was unexpectedly achieved from an unprotected computer//server through some exploits. I later found out about the files inside it. They weren’t even protected properly or even encrypted with anything which is just sad.”

“I haven’t spoken to AMD about it because I am pretty sure that instead of accepting their mistake and moving on, they will try to sue me. So why not just leak it to everyone?” we were told.
The leaker confirmed to TorrentFreak that she has more source code that has not been made public yet. She added that she's looking to sell the source code and put a $100 million valuation on the hack. If no buyer appears for the illegally obtained code, she claims she will "just leak everything."


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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