Earlier this week, Intel has released microcode updates that address the Spectre vulnerability in PCs with a 6th generation (Skylake) processor.
The update has been released to OEMs and Intel’s industry partners for rollout to affected users. According to PCWorld’s report, the update only helps Core or Core m Skylake processors, but the code has already been approved for the Skylake U, Y, H, and S series.
At the beginning of the year, the CPU vulnerabilities known as Spectre and Meltdown were discovered and reported by several individuals, including a member of Google Project Zero, a team of security analysts that look for these types of vulnerabilities.
In a nutshell, Meltdown is called such because it “melts security boundaries which are normally enforced by the hardware”. Spectre, on the other hand, is trickier as it affects all CPUs (yes, including the one on your smartphone) by allowing an attacker to trick error-free programs into leaking their secrets. Both of these bugs can essentially be used to steal sensitive information such as passwords, bank information, and personal information.
“I can’t emphasize enough how critical it is for everyone to always keep their systems up-to-date.” says Navin Shenoy, executive vice president and general manager of Data Center Group at Intel Corp. With Spectre and Meltdown abound, it is always best to stay safe by always keeping your OS up to date.
