Battering RAM Attack Breaks Intel and AMD Security Tech With $50 Device

Researchers have disclosed a new hardware attack, Battering RAM, demonstrated against Intel and AMD systems. The technique, developed by KU Leuven in Belgium together with the University of Birmingham and Durham University in the UK, requires physical access to the targeted device. It involves an interposer placed between the CPU and DRAM; the researchers built one for about $50 that can sit undetected until activated to redirect protected memory addresses to attacker-controlled locations.

The attack can bypass Intel SGX and AMD SEV-SNP confidential computing protections, exposing memory to plaintext access and undermining SEV’s attestation on fully patched systems. Intel and AMD were notified in February 2025 and subsequently issued security advisories stating that attacks needing physical access are outside their threat models, while emphasising the importance of physical device protection.

The interposer targets DDR4 memory, though researchers believe a more advanced version could affect DDR5 as well, and the researchers say software or firmware updates cannot patch this vulnerability.