[Bob434]

[[If you don’t run malicious executables then the intel flaw can’t be exploited.]]

If this is true, then linux users should be very well protected against the intel flaw because it can’t run windows based malicious executables, right?

[palmer]

I don't think Linux users will be any better off since they can run a malicious executable too. I didn't mean to imply only windows by insisting on EXE. That was shorthand for any executable like an ELF on Linux.

I was trying to distinguish those from javascript, java, python, flash, ruby, or other scripted or interpreted languages that cannot run arbitrary (and very rarely used) instructions. Those instructions are generally needed (but not 100% of the time) to run these types of sides channel attacks. Also the timing of the instructions can be important and the scripted languages don't give a lot of control over timing.