Posted on 01/03/2018 1:55:39 PM PST by Red Badger
The fix requires major OS rewrites which will probably make your computer run slower.
An extremely severe security flaw has been found to affect nearly every Intel processor made in the past decade or more, giving any hackers who might know how to exploit it access to protected information systemwide. The Register reports that programmers are rushing to make the sweeping changes necessary to protect against the vulnerability on Linux and Windows operating systems, with such fixes required on macOS as well. Even worse, you can expect these vital updates to noticeably slow down your computer.
The design flaw in Intel's x86-64 hardware—first introduced in 2004 and still in use in the lion's share of modern-day processors—allows programs without the proper permissions to access the part of an operating system known as the kernel, a low-level chunk of code that controls literally everything in your system.
The exact details of the vulnerability are still somewhat under wraps, but as The Register has pieced together from multiple, technical sources, it appears the flaw is based in a feature called "speculative execution." This trick allows a processor to do things before it's absolutely sure they need to be done, so the results are ready as quickly as possible if needed and simply ignored if not. In Intel's x86-64 hardware, however, it appears that programs may be able to speculatively execute code they would not have permission to run under normal circumstances, allowing carefully-constructed, malicious code to essentially read your entire operating system's mind without the proper permission. The potential bounty of such an attack includes passwords, login files, and pretty much anything you'd ever want to keep secret.
It's hard to zero in on the most troubling part of this flaw. Intel's x86-64x processors are the most widely-used chips in virtually every form of laptop. If you don't know what processor you have, you almost certainly have one with this flaw. If you do have an AMD processor, however, congratulations—they are confirmed to be safe from the exploit.
In addition to the ubiquity of Intel processors, the low-level nature of this vulnerability means that hackers who may have learned to exploit it would have access to an unprecedented number of machines. And considering x86-64 has been around and prevalent since 2004, possible hackers have had access for over 10 years. No researchers have yet come forward with an example program that exploits this flaw, but that's hardly proof that hackers, or the NSA, didn't figure out how to make use of this exploit years ago.
On top of it all, the fix requires extremely deep and wide-reaching changes at the root levels of an operating system's software—changes that could impact performance of Intel machines by as much as 30 percent. The only alternative? A new computer with a different processor, or one powerful enough to make up for the performance hit. Even worse, these performance hits won't just come to your computer, but also the army of distant servers that run countless internet-connected services in the cloud.
So what can you do? Not much. If you have a computer with a competing AMD processor, pat yourself on the back and breathe easy. Otherwise, make sure that your computer's operating system is up to date with the latest security updates, though fixes for this particular problem may not be widely available for days or even weeks. Intel has yet to publicly comment on the vulnerability, but the consequences will likely reverberate for years.
my question is- being computer illiterate nearly- what exactly would the hackers be getting off a typical Internet and email user’s computers that is so valuable? All i basically do is Internet browsing and email with only a very few contacts really- it’s not like there is a whole slew of ‘valuable personal info’ on the computer
WOO-HOO, AMD Phenom II!
I'd use the term "vulnerability" instead of "exploit" because no exploit has actually been demonstrated for either "Meltdown" or "Spectrum."
I got sidetracked when I was posting the ping. It's only macOS 10.13.2 and later at this Time. Hopefully, they will patch earlier versions with a minor upgrade to just fix this.
You've pretty much got it. . . a properly crafted app can force something into the look-ahead process to run something malicious.
Passwords, credit cards you may use, SSN. etc.
Absolutely...and I already know the outcome...
Lawyers receive hundreds of millions in fees.
End user plaintiffs will receive coupons for 10% off next purchase.
That sounds about right.
Does this also affect the latest Coffee Lake processors?
You may be thinking of the flaw from last year..............
That I do not know..............
It came on at the speed of light!............
This is hardware, not software. MS is innocent.............this time.....................
Mine was a speed demon.....10 MHz!.................whooo-hoooo!.................
This may answer your question:
from FReeper swordmaker’s post #64:
Mitigations by Linux code-base maintainers are underway, as are changes by Microsoft to protect Windows users. In response to a query, Microsoft told AppleInsider that they had no comment on a timetable of a release to fix the security flaw at this time, but kernel memory handling was altered by the company in Windows 10 beta builds in the end of 2017.
Or North Korea or Iran or Russia or............
That’s what I was thinking, but the old aphorism is, “”Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” .........................
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