In what might surely be an embarrassment for AMD, source code for some of the company’s GPUs has been stolen and published to GitHub. The company acknowledged in a statement yesterday that it was contacted by someone in December 2019, claiming to have “test files related to a subset” of its current and future graphics products, which has now been published online. The company has filed at least two DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown notices against the GitHub repositories that were hosting the stolen code.
The ‘xxXsoullessXxx’ repository contained a project with the ‘AMD-navi-GPU-HARDWARE-SOURCE’ name which has since been taken down by the code hosting service. In some communications with TorrentFreak, the alleged hacker included that the stolen package included code for AMD’s Navi 10 and Navi 21. The leaked information also contained the source code for the semiconductor manufacturer’s upcoming Arden GPU, which is reportedly used in Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox Series X gaming console.
In an interview with the publication, the hacker claimed that the “source code was unexpectedly achieved from an unprotected computer//server through some exploits”. The individual also added that the information was not encrypted or “properly protected”.
Here is AMD’s complete statement:
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.
AMD’s DMCA takedown request contained at least four other repositories where the leaked code was being hosted, which were also reportedly taken down by GitHub. It is not clear how much of the code has been leaked. However, guessing from the GPU maker’s statement, it does not look to pose a threat to the company’s offerings in terms of “competitiveness or security”. The hacker, who claims to be female, has claimed that she will “leak everything” if a buyer is not found for the files.