Microsoft Patches for CPU Flaws Break Windows, Apps

security week ^ | 1/8/2018 | Eduard Kovacs

[bitt]

Users have complained that the updates released by Microsoft last week for the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities cause Windows to break down on some computers with AMD processors.

Several individuals whose computers rely on AMD processors, particularly older Athlon models, say they are unable to start Windows 10 after installing KB4056892, an update released by Microsoft in response to the disclosure of serious flaws affecting Intel, AMD and ARM processors.

The security holes have been dubbed Spectre and Meltdown and they allow malicious applications to bypass memory isolation mechanisms and access passwords, photos, documents, emails, and other sensitive information. Both local and remote exploitation are possible.

Users have reported that after installing Microsoft’s update the operating system freezes during boot when the Windows logo is displayed. Some users claimed to have had problems reverting to a previous state, and those who did manage to do it warned that the automatic update feature needs to quickly be disabled to prevent the update from being reinstalled.

While a majority of the affected users appear to have older AMD Athlon processors, some devices with AMD Turion CPUs also appear to have been hit.

Microsoft has not shared any information regarding this issue. A Microsoft spokesperson told SecurityWeek that the company is aware of the reports and is investigating.

[Navy Patriot]

Yeah, I’m on “notify”, I have to download and install myself, no automatic for me.

[Brown Deer]

The VICMODEM originally used with the Commodore 64 was only 300 baud.

[HKMk23]

Now cut that out! I’m having flashbacks of thinking 24k of RAM was YUGE!

[Brown Deer]

I paid an extra $100 for an upgrade to 8K ram instead of the basic 4K on the Apple II.

[sushiman]

Thanks . Using a made for Japan Dell but sure I can find it .

[DJ Frisat]

I no longer have any computers running Windows 7, so I can’t check the steps on a live machine to make sure I give you the correct steps.

Here’s a link you can copy that will show you how to do it:

https://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_to_stop_disable_windows_7_autoupdate/

[sushiman]

My wife turned off my HP pc while I was in the bath and it automatically updated 2 new programs . After that i got the blue screen of death , and then black screen and then the PC came on but no network . Rebooted a couple of times and now is working . How do I check to see what was installed ? Computer dummy in Japan .

Upstairs Dell I can’t find Security/System in Control Panel . I looked in action center but can’t find it . Guess I’ll leave the computer on all night because if I shut it off I’m afraid I’ll have same problems with Dell as HP .

Damn Microsoft !

[dayglored]

Oh great, the patches break things ... PING!

You can find all the Windows Ping list threads with FR search: just search on keyword "windowspinglist".

Thanks to bitt for the ping!!

[sushiman]

Re; blue screen of death today . Many complaints around the world apparently .

https://www.ghacks.net/2018/01/09/microsoft-halts-security-updates-for-select-amd-devices/#comment-4333029

To repeat my wife turned off my HP with an AMD this evening before I could disable auto update and she got the BSOD and botting issues but after a few reboots the PC is now working . Wondering of it’ll be ok ? Should I restore to previous date or leave it alone ?

[Anti-Bubba182]

Thanks!

[DJ Frisat]

If I were in this position, I would leave it as-is. Why go back to a known-compromised situation? Your experience was different from mine, because Windows 7 doesn’t have the automatic repair facility that’s in Windows 10. If everything is now working normally, don’t press your luck by trying a restore...

I would do an image copy, which is the single most handy thing to have in case of catastrophic failure. This option even takes care of hard drive failures, if they happen.

It can be accomplished simply and reliably with free tools. You can even put it on a thumb drive depending upon the capacity of your hard drive and how much data you have stored.

[Varmint Al]

My 6 core Ryzen CPU running Linux Mint KDE 17.3 with its SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2 250GB ssd is running fine.

Good Hunting... from Varmint Al

[bitt]

thanks, Palmer!

[hoosierham]

Swiftlink cartridge.

[HKMk23]

The one I remember most fondly is the floppy drive/disk eraser we had for our TRS-80. Functioned perfectly as a floppy drive if you had it powered on BEFORE you put the disc in, and didn’t power it down until AFTER you took the disc out.

For a “bulk” instant disc wipe, insert the disc with the unit off, then power it on.

[Brown Deer]

I never had a TRS-80, but someone who once worked at Commodore, gave me a complete printout of the 1541 floppy drive source code.

I remember noticing a comment that said something like, “if you ever end up here, you are in trouble”

[rarestia]

I have Windows set to not install anything.

I want to impress upon you and every FReeper out there that this is one of the worst exploits ever uncovered, and it is speculated that the CIA has known about this and used it around the world for years. NOT patching is quite literally the worst thing you could possibly do.

Reading through black hat IRC and bulletin boards shows that this exploit is terrifyingly simple to use, and plenty of POC code has been uploaded to Github in the last week in every modern programming language out there.

Again, you're only playing yourself if you don't patch your system! This exploit allows attackers to read everything out of your system's memory in cleartext. Passwords, browser history, emails, instant messages... EVERYTHING. Don't be an idiot: patch your systems!

[Perseverando]

I’m running Windows 7. Since the last patch everytime my PC is idle for a little while and goes into sleep mode the mouse keeps flaky and won’t move. I have to unplug the mouse from the USB port for a moment and replug. After about 20-30 seconds the mouse works normally again.

Looks like Microsoft has discontinued support for Windows 7/keyboard & mouse support.

---

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/258785/install-mouse-and-intellipoint-software

To install a Microsoft mouse, install the IntelliPoint software. Then, connect the mouse to the computer. To do this, use the following methods in the order in which they appear.

Install the IntelliPoint Software

To install the IntelliPoint software, use one of the following methods.

Download from the Internet

To download and install the latest version of the IntelliPoint software, follow these steps:

Visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/download/download.aspx?category=MK

[dayglored]

> Looks like Microsoft has discontinued support for Windows 7/keyboard & mouse support.

Not sure what you mean. Unless you mean for their proprietary specialized K/M:

> ... Install the IntelliPoint Software ...

Frankly, I gave up using custom, proprietary mouse/keyboard packages a long time ago. I use only standard, generic USB (wired) mice that work on Windows, MacOS, Linux... no special drivers, no bloated "utility" packages.

So I dunno what to say about the mouse problem you're experiencing. I realize that's not very helpful to you, sorry about that.

[hoosierham]

Your pictured Vi modem is for the Commodore VIC 20.
The C64 had a different modem .