AMD won’t solve the fTPM issue in two months
Users of Windows 11 PCs equipped with AMD’s Ryzen processors are worrying. It turns out that they will have to wait until May for the patch to get rid of one of the serious vulnerabilities found in these computers. The problem concerns computers (including Windows 10) where the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) i.e. fTPM firmware is installed and activated.
The patch for this bug will modify the BIOS, specifically the TPM virtual processor that supports encryption operations and must be present and activated if a computer user wants to install patches on it using the Windows Update service.
Users of Windows 11 and 10 PCs with Ryzen processors reported this problem a long time ago, at the beginning of this year. AMD investigated and explained that this was due to a bug in the resident fTPM program that handles different types of transactions. Some system configurations with AMD Ryzen chipsets can then sometimes perform such transactions in a certain way, and then use the extended fTPM memory contained within the motherboard’s SPI flash chip (SPIROM). This can, as shown, lead to occasional system stutter and a decrease in its performance.
Check also:
According to many users, the system continues to work, but freezes for a few seconds. AMD claims that it is already working on updating the BIOS, introducing improved modules responsible for the interaction of fTPM with SPIROM memory. However, this work will not be completed sooner than in May this year, since the exact time of availability of the new BIOS for the specific motherboard will depend on the testing schedule and agreement with motherboard manufacturers.
Users who need to use a TPM can opt out of fTPM and switch to a hardware-based dTPM module which does exactly the same. However, AMD warns: When taking this step, be sure to disable TPM-supported encryption systems such as BitLocker Drive Encryption.
.
