AMD begins fixing 'fTPM' bug on Linux, disables annoying 'RNG'

AMD has started working on a new patch that will disable RNG (Random Number Generator) for AMD fTPMs to counter unwanted annoyance.

AMD's fTPM issues have taken a rise after the introduction of "fTPM", users are demanding to disable the feature

The previous report mentioned how Linux's creator, Linus Torvalds, expressed his disappointment with the feature, calling it a "plague" on the Linux kernel. His views gained enormous traction in the industry, eventually leading the company to step in and solve the problem. As revealed by Phoronix, the red team has now disabled RNG for all fTPMs creating the update today.

AMD has disabled the fTPM RNG (Random Number Generator), which has played a major role in the increasing problems the Linux community is facing due to AMD's annoying fTPM. This is how AMD engineer Mario Limonciello sees the move:

tpm: Disable RNG for all AMD fTPMs

The TPM RNG functionality is not required for entropy when the CPU already supports the RDRAND instruction. The TPM RNG functionality was previously disabled on a subset of the AMD fTPM lineup, but reports continue to show issues on some systems causing root rot caused by TPM RNG functionality.

Extend disabling of TPM RNG usage for all AMD fTPMs, whether they have versions that claim to have fixed or not.

via git.kernel

The patch was released on Linux 6.5 today, with "back-porting" to earlier Linux versions. The fTPM RNG feature caused several crashes and stuttering reports, so the company was quick to disable it. We hope that this move leads to making Linux a more reliable platform, and the company is expected to roll out further updates to ensure stability. It's a good thing that the update has been rolled out early, as the issue was a major annoyance for users running AMD hardware on the Linux platform.