Tip - apply updates for computer chip problems
This is the eleventh in a series of 12 tips to help you improve your online safety. As details start to emerge of the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities in most CPUs powering mainstream computers and phones. CERT’s official recommendation is that the only way to guard against this particular problem is to replace your CPU with one that isn’t affected but that’s probably not an avenue most of us will take, so watch out for patches and updates.
Why does this make computers vulnerable?
It’s all to do with “speculative execution”, where the good folks of Twitter again help us with explanations and analogies involving sandwiches: https://twitter.com/shanselman/status/949162622607216641 Before moving on to a fluorescent-marker analogy: https://twitter.com/gringene_bio/status/949015153718145024
What should I do?
If you hold $24 million in Intel stock, are on the board, and are aware of the flaw, consider whether now is a great time to sell For the rest of us,
- apply updates for operating systems and browsers
If you’re a system administrator, more information is available in the Register’s article.
Notes
This article was originally published on the Online Safety Alliance