Patch for critical bug in Intel CPUs could potentially slow down your PC

By Darren Allan

A major bug in Intel’s processors can’t be fixed via a firmware update, and will require an operating system patch across Windows, Linux and macOS platforms – and the bad news is that this software patch could slow down PCs potentially by up to 30%.

There are multiple caveats when it comes to that scary looking percentage figure, which we’ll discuss momentarily, but there’s no doubting that this is a huge blunder by Intel.

The Register reports that the design flaw seemingly affects all modern Intel CPUs – those produced in the last decade or so – and it gives applications the potential ability to spy inside some protected kernel memory data.

That memory space should be completely inaccessible, because it could contain elements like login or password details, or other security-shaking bits and pieces. The exact details of the flaw haven’t been made clear to avoid giving out any more details than necessary.

What is clear is that this must be fixed as soon as possible, with operating system kernels needing to be redesigned in order to completely separate the kernel’s memory from any user processes and programs. The problem with doing so is that this will trigger some slowdown …read more

Source:: techradar.com – Computing Components