Own a Radeon RX 7000 Card? AMD Wants You to Flash Its Firmware, and It Still Won’t Say Why

GPU firmware updates are rare enough that most of us forget video cards even have a BIOS. When one shows up labeled “security” with no further explanation, it’s worth paying attention.

Starting earlier this month, Sapphire posted model-specific firmware updaters for eight RDNA 3 cards on its support and downloads page: the RX 7600, 7600 XT, 7650 GRE, 7700 XT, 7800 XT, 7900 GRE, 7900 XT and 7900 XTX. GIGABYTE followed with revised vBIOS files, and its support page for the RX 7600 XT Gaming OC ties them to an AMD security identifier, AMD-SN-6023.

AMD has now confirmed what the updates are for, sort of. In a statement relayed to ComputerBase, the company called it a standard procedure to fix potential vulnerabilities ahead of public disclosure. It recommends updating as soon as your card’s manufacturer offers a file, and says it has no reports of the flaws being exploited.

What AMD hasn’t done is publish the bulletin. When we checked AMD’s product security page early Friday, AMD-SN-6023 was still not listed. So we don’t know the severity, the attack vector, or whether every RX 7000 card from every partner is affected.

How to check if you’re affected

1. Identify your card’s maker and exact model, and look at that maker’s support page. Firmware is board-specific. Never flash another vendor’s file onto your card.
2. Sapphire’s package installs AMD’s Radeon Firmware Updater, which detects your GPU and reports whether an update applies. Run it as administrator, save your work first, and expect a restart.
3. GIGABYTE owners should match their installed VBIOS branch to the listed update and stay within the same series.
4. Afterward, confirm the new firmware version in AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition.

Dual-BIOS card owners should read their vendor’s notes before flipping switches. Users report that the updater only touches the specific versions that need patching.

Our take: AMD is following responsible-disclosure norms, and that’s the right call. But “trust us, flash it” is a big ask for a firmware procedure most owners have never done. It’s a bigger ask when partners other than Sapphire and GIGABYTE haven’t said anything publicly. RX 7000 owners have been patient lately, from the RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 driver whiplash to FSR 4.1 costing RX 7000 owners performance. A one-paragraph advisory explaining what’s at stake would go a long way.

If your card’s vendor hasn’t posted anything yet, keep an eye on its support page. When the AMD bulletin finally drops, we’ll know whether this was routine hygiene or something more pressing.

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