Responding to ‘incorrect’ reports, Intel says major flaw affects ‘many different vendors’
https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/03/intel-calls-reports-of-major-vulnerability-incorrect/
Reports this morning that Intel processors are affected by a serious flaw that may reduce performance significantly hit the company’s credibility and stock hard. Intel has now officially responded to these reports, calling them “incorrect” and “inaccurate,” and saying it had planned to discuss this very issue next week.
The flaw makes it possible for ordinary users and processes to access data deep in the inner mechanisms of the processor and architecture — specifically, kernel memory. The possibilities for bad actors taking advantage of such a gaping hole are numerous, and unfortunately there is no easy solution that does not also slow the processor’s operations considerably.