# Intel & AMD Problems.



## Mike (May 14, 2018)

I thought that they were all fixed a while ago,
but it seems not.

They have reared their ugly head again.

This time they also affect *Apple/Mac and Linux*

Below is the message that I received today.

Mike.

*We've all heard the tales of woe caused by the Spectre and Meltdown bugs, present in
Intel and AMD processors, and the havoc a hacker could wreak by exploiting them.

Fortunately, it looks like Microsoft is getting on top of Intel’s mistake with patches for
Windows to block the problem.

But now another processor problem has cropped up which could allow a hacker to crash
your computer, or hack it and steal information from the memory.

However, Intel claim that it’s not their fault this time.

It seems that the problem is actually down to Microsoft misunderstanding Intel's technical
specifications relating to the way that processors handle a special security exception.

The software flaw in Windows allows hackers to take advantage of this misunderstanding.
All they need to be able to do is log onto the system as a normal user, then they can exploit
the bug to potentially run normal code in the protected operating system memory, implanting
a virus or back door into your system.

But the problem doesn't just exist in Windows. The same bug also exists in Mac OS and various
Linux systems, meaning that developers in the organisations behind these operating systems
also misunderstood Intel's instructions.

As such, it seems pretty clear that the problem lies at heart with Intel, and the way they
documented their processors.

If their manuals were clearer, surely all of these programmers wouldn't have made the same mistake.

And, Intel have pretty much admitted that fact, since they have released a new set of manuals for
their processors, that better spell out to developers how they are supposed to work.

Fortunately, Microsoft have managed to rush out a bug fix in double quick time to cure the problem.
If you have Windows 10, this will be installed automatically. If you have Windows 8.1 or 7, it will be
installed automatically if Automatic Updates are enabled on your system. If not, you can install it
manually using the Windows Update Control Panel. *


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## Roadwarrior (May 14, 2018)

Mike;820944[B said:
			
		

> Fortunately, it looks like Microsoft is getting on top of Intel’s mistake with patches for
> Windows to block the problem. [/B]


This is ancient history for Linux the kernel patch was available from Linus on Jan 8, 2018.


> How to protect your computer from Meltdown and Spectre?
> 
> Well, there is nothing you can do on your side except for waiting for the updates to arrive. Most Linux distributions including Ubuntu,* Mint, *Fedora etc have already released patches. Other Linux distributions and operating systems should also get the fix soon (if they haven’t got it already).





> There are also updates available for web browsers. So, keep a check on system updates and install them as they come.  (Patches on Firefox & Opera) have been in place for months.


As usual MS (johnny-come-lately) is right on top of the problem.


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