INFRA
INFRA
INFRA
Intel has redesigned its next-gen chips to fix Meltdown and Spectre flaws
Intel Corp. is promising that the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities will mostly be a thing of the past in its next generation of central processing units following a redesign of its upcoming eighth-generation Xeon and Core processor chips.
The Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities, putting aside the attention they have gained, are notable because unlike most security issues that arise, they’re not related to software but a hardware vulnerability built into most chips made over the last 20 years. A hacker can compromise the privileged memory of CPUs and gain control of various software applications. Although there have been various attempts at patching the vulnerabilities, they come with both risks and performance issues.
Intel’s new chips will be mostly Meltdown- and Spectre-free from the get-go. Chief Executive Officer Brian Krzanich explained in a blog post that the chipmaker has redesigned parts of its processors “to introduce new levels of protection through partitioning” that will protect against both Spectre variant 2 and Meltdown variant 3 weaknesses.
“These changes will begin with our next-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors (code-named Cascade Lake) as well as 8th Generation Intel Core processors expected to ship in the second half of 2018,” Krzanich wrote. “As we bring these new products to market, ensuring that they deliver the performance improvements people expect from us is critical. Our goal is to offer not only the best performance, but also the best secure performance.”
The redesigned processors won’t be entirely free of vulnerabilities. Krzanich noted that the Spectre variant 1 vulnerability will continue to be addressed via a software patch.
It’s a positive step forward for both Intel and naturally computer users. But it still faces a lot of trouble on the legal front. As of Feb. 18, Intel was facing 35 lawsuits related to both the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities. Thirty of the lawsuits are class action suits that generally represent users who claim to have been harmed by Intel’s actions or omissions.
Photo: wiredforsound23/Flickr
A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:
Support our mission to keep content open and free by engaging with theCUBE community. Join theCUBE’s Alumni Trust Network, where technology leaders connect, share intelligence and create opportunities.
- 15M+ viewers of theCUBE videos, powering conversations across AI, cloud, cybersecurity and more
- 11.4k+ theCUBE alumni — Connect with more than 11,400 tech and business leaders shaping the future through a unique trusted-based network.
About SiliconANGLE Media
SiliconANGLE Media is a recognized leader in digital media innovation, uniting breakthrough technology, strategic insights and real-time audience engagement. As the parent company of SiliconANGLE, theCUBE Network, theCUBE Research, CUBE365, theCUBE AI and theCUBE SuperStudios — with flagship locations in Silicon Valley and the New York Stock Exchange — SiliconANGLE Media operates at the intersection of media, technology and AI.
Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, SiliconANGLE Media has built a dynamic ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands that reach 15+ million elite tech professionals. Our new proprietary theCUBE AI Video Cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.
