AMD and ARM are also affected
Yesterday there was a news that spread through all media and it is a big drop in the design of Intel processors manufactured over the last decade, which poses a major security issue for all users, will require a significant parking at the level of the operating system that would reduce the efficiency of the brand’s CPUs by up to 30%. Experts assure that the security bubble will affect “normal user applications. From database applications to JavaScript in web browsers”.
Today, Intel has officially commented on the situation, but the answer given does not provide any significant details about what is happening.
Recent reports that these exploits are caused by an “error” or “error” and that they are exclusive to Intel products are incorrect. Based on the analysis so far, many types of computer devices, with many processors and operating systems from different providers, are susceptible to these exploits.
Committed to the security of its products and customers, Intel has worked closely with many other technology companies, including AMD, ARM Holdings, and several operating system providers, to develop a sector-specific solution that addresses this issue quickly and constructively. Intel has begun providing software and firmware updates to mitigate these exploits. Unlike some reports, any impact on performance depends on the workload, and for the average user of the computer, it should not be significant and will diminish over time.
Intel
So far, AMD claims that its processors have not been affected, but there have been some sites that have failed.
Meltdown and Specter exploit critical vulnerabilities in modern processors. These hardware failures allow programs to steal data that is currently being processed on computers. Although programs are not normally allowed to read data from other programs, a malicious program can explore Meltdown and Specter to get secrets stored in the memory of other programs being executed. This can include their passwords stored in a password manager or navigator, their personal photos, emails, instant messages and even important documents for the company.
Meltdown and Specter work on personal computers, mobile devices and in the cloud. Depending on the cloud provider’s infrastructure, it may be possible to steal data from other customers.
Melting attack
While Meltdown seems to only affect Intel CPUs (which go back at least to 2011 models, and possibly many more), Specter has been tested on AMD, ARM and Intel CPUs.
