Serious vulnerability of Intel processors may lead to data leakage

Programmers who first discovered the vulnerability that the publication The Register , reported that it allows any software, including viruses, to access passwords, logins and other confidential user information. The scale of the problem is much more serious than it may seem at first glance, because the vulnerability is observed on all the chips released in the last ten years.

Due to the fact that hackers can exploit the vulnerability, experts who have discovered a "hole" in security do not disclose details, but promise to share information closer to the end of January - then, in their opinion, the problem should be solved at all levels. According to the conducted researches, it is quite simple to do this, because the vulnerability can be fixed at the level of the operating system, so the developers of Windows, Linux and macOS should isolate the core of the processor from the user environment.

But there are also nuances. You can isolate the kernel, but only such operations can lead to serious performance drawdowns, up to thirty percent on Windows and Linux. As for the devices on macOS, it's not at all clear how the troubleshooting of the machines running this OS will affect, experts are still unknown. Participants in the Windows pre-test program report that they have already begun to receive security updates, and soon another "patch" will be released for other users. Security specialists strongly recommend not to ignore the next update of the system and to update as soon as possible.

The article is based on materials https://hi-news.ru/hardware/seryoznaya-uyazvimost-processorov-intel-mozhet-povlech-za-soboj-utechku-dannyx.html.