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Intel CEO: Patches will come to 90% of chips in the next week

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Re: Intel CEO: Patches will come to 90% of chips in the next week

#11

Post by maltalex »

donaldihunter wrote: post #8
maltalex wrote: post #4

How does one patch a CPU? Does the update come in the form of a BIOS update? If so, then the patch still has to travel through the PC manufacturers, like when Google patches Android. Or can it be somehow applied directly? Edit: Apparently the OS can update the CPU's microcode. No need for BIOS updates. It was even done in the past. For instance, an unrelated Windows Vista update that updates microcode: https://suppor…

Intel's not patching anything. They're relying on Windows, Linux and macOS patches to work around the vulnerability. Presumably that's how the 90% claim can be made. Very disingenuous of Intel tho. EDIT: There are microcode updates included in the OS updates: https://access.redhat.com/articles/3311301

I don't think that's the case. They're patching the issue in CPU microcode.

Re: Intel CEO: Patches will come to 90% of chips in the next week

#12

Post by nickysielicki »

maltalex wrote: post #10
nickysielicki wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://wiki.debian.org/Microcode The real news here is that Intel thinks they can fix this via microcode. This is surprising because initially there were some strong arguments that this wouldn't be possible.

Yeah, well, let's not break out the champagne yet. According to your link: > The BIOS (or UEFI) updates the CPU microcode during boot, however most of the time either the motherboard vendor won't issue frequent BIOS/UEFI updates, or the user won't install such updates. For these reasons, the system processor is likely to be running with outdated microcode on a vast number of systems. We still need the various manufac…

I think that claim is incorrect. I'd be surprised if Windows Update didn't download and load updated vendor microcode, and most Linux distributions do (or can), too. At least, I know Fedora does it by default.

Re: Intel CEO: Patches will come to 90% of chips in the next week

#13

Post by chadcatlett »

maltalex wrote: post #10
nickysielicki wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://wiki.debian.org/Microcode The real news here is that Intel thinks they can fix this via microcode. This is surprising because initially there were some strong arguments that this wouldn't be possible.

Yeah, well, let's not break out the champagne yet. According to your link: > The BIOS (or UEFI) updates the CPU microcode during boot, however most of the time either the motherboard vendor won't issue frequent BIOS/UEFI updates, or the user won't install such updates. For these reasons, the system processor is likely to be running with outdated microcode on a vast number of systems. We still need the various manufac…

OS vendors can update the microcode when first booting the OS.

Re: Intel CEO: Patches will come to 90% of chips in the next week

#16

Post by JumpCrisscross »

donaldihunter wrote: post #8
maltalex wrote: post #4

How does one patch a CPU? Does the update come in the form of a BIOS update? If so, then the patch still has to travel through the PC manufacturers, like when Google patches Android. Or can it be somehow applied directly? Edit: Apparently the OS can update the CPU's microcode. No need for BIOS updates. It was even done in the past. For instance, an unrelated Windows Vista update that updates microcode: https://suppor…

Intel's not patching anything. They're relying on Windows, Linux and macOS patches to work around the vulnerability. Presumably that's how the 90% claim can be made. Very disingenuous of Intel tho. EDIT: There are microcode updates included in the OS updates: https://access.redhat.com/articles/3311301

> Very disingenuous of Intel tho

This crisis has taken Intel, in my mind, from an American behemoth at the vanguard of technology to a sclerotic overgrown mess. Bugs happen, crises happen. When you're a $200 billion company, those mistakes scale deafeningly. The bugs are unfortunate, but not unreasonable.

Intel's communication, however, from the first press release to crap like this, has been disingenuous to the point that it arouses suspicion. Why are they being dishonest? Is there something more to be discovered? What else have they lied about?

Textbook case of PR and IR incompetence.

Re: Intel CEO: Patches will come to 90% of chips in the next week

#17

Post by rocqua »

dm319 wrote: post #6

Surely he is talking about the Win/Mac/Linux kernel patches? Would seem bizarre for all the work to go on the kernels when Intel had some firmware patches up their sleeve? Also I thought Spectre is something that is unlikely to be patched in the near future.

I believe there are microcode patches that help make spectre harder. I also have a vague recollection of the fix for meltdown on the newest CPUs requiring a microcode patch for complete protection.

Re: Intel CEO: Patches will come to 90% of chips in the next week

#18

Post by [deleted] »

chadcatlett wrote: post #13
maltalex wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, well, let's not break out the champagne yet. According to your link: > The BIOS (or UEFI) updates the CPU microcode during boot, however most of the time either the motherboard vendor won't issue frequent BIOS/UEFI updates, or the user won't install such updates. For these reasons, the system processor is likely to be running with outdated microcode on a vast number of systems. We still need the various manufac…

OS vendors can update the microcode when first booting the OS.

[deleted]
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