Earlier the year, Intel got caught unprepared when Spectre and Meltdown went public. Intel has been in firefighting mode from the start. So far, Intel is using software-based mitigations only. Luckily for new users, Intel is preparing some new hardware mitigations for future CPUs. Even better, these processors should arrive before the end of the year and target both Spectre and Meltdown.
The great news overall is that Intel has developed hardware fixes for Meltdown and Spectre v2. Intel will roll this out into all new and upcoming processors as soon as possible. The new mitigations will arrive in CPUs starting in the second half of 2018. The first confirmed chips with fixes are Skylake-E/X Cascade Lake. This is especially important as the bugs have the potential to break through virtual machines.
There still remain many questions about the new bug fixes. For one, there is no clear indication for consumer fixes in the works. We don’t know if Cannon Lake will have the fixes built in or will it take until later lineups. Furthermore, the hardware fixes don’t deal with Spectre v1. It is hard to see how a fix will be made anytime soon given the nature of the attack against speculative out-of-order execution.
Finally, the microcode fixes for Spectre are continuing to roll out. For now, it stretches back to Penryn 45nm Core 2 CPUs. There is a chance that 65nm Core 2 may qualify in the future. The greater difficulty is in delivering the updates. Given the lack of motherboard updates, we will have to rely on Microsoft soft patches. Unfortunately, Microsoft is limiting that to Windows 10 so far. Hopefully, we will see more developments here.
By supporting eTeknix, you help us grow and continue to bring you the latest news, reviews, and competitions. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with the latest technology, share your favourite articles, chat with the team and more. Also check out eTeknix YouTube, where you’ll find our latest video reviews, event coverage and features in 4K!
According to a new report, the GeForce RTX 5090 GPU will be very expensive. It…
A new AMD processor in the form of an engineering model has been leaked in…
SK Hynix has claimed to be the first company to mass-produce 321-layer NAND memory chips.…
SOUNDS GREAT – Full stereo sound (12W peak power) gives your setup a booming audio…
Special Edition Yoshi design Ergonomic controller shape with Nintendo Switch button layout Detachable 10ft (3m)…
Fluid Motion: These flight rudder pedals are smooth and accurate that enable precise control over…