On “I don't trust microcode” (2021)
patrick.georgi.family
On “I don't trust microcode” (2021)
1–10 of 56 posts
Re: On “I don't trust microcode” (2021)
#2The something or other axiom: Updates to most software have been inevitably harmful to any original user of that software. That goes for programs, that goes for microcode.
Re: On “I don't trust microcode” (2021)
#3The something or other axiom: Updates to most software have been inevitably harmful to any original user of that software. That goes for programs, that goes for microcode.
Cybersecurity and updates in general are mostly gaslighting. Not entirely, just mostly. Look to South Korea's banking situation for a flanderized example.
Re: On “I don't trust microcode” (2021)
#4my bad - misread
Re: On “I don't trust microcode” (2021)
#5I don’t work on x86 CPUs, but it’s my understanding that most “microcode updates” change the values of HW registers (or “chicken bits”) to disable problematic CPU optimizations rather than changing the literal microcode expansions of instructions.
On non/less-microcoded CPU, this same functionality would be achieved by a higher-level firmware/OS update.
Re: On “I don't trust microcode” (2021)
#6my bad - misread
>and if you are not going to trust microcode, what else are you not going to trust - logic gates, transistors, electrons?
The article is unequivocally pro microcode. The title is him replying to people who don't trust microcode, so it's a rebuttal.
Re: On “I don't trust microcode” (2021)
#7my bad - misread
>and if you are not going to trust microcode, what else are you not going to trust - logic gates, transistors, electrons? The article is unequivocally pro microcode. The title is him replying to people who don't trust microcode, so it's a rebuttal.
ok, i misread, will delete my comment - except i can't
Re: On “I don't trust microcode” (2021)
#8my bad - misread
There are good reasons to not trust microcode. For example, a certain instruction chain can be made to trigger backdoors on the CPU and allow direct memory access for attackers. Catching this might be rather hard, though definitely not impossible.
Re: On “I don't trust microcode” (2021)
#9my bad - misread
we will distrust that which we cannot inspect.
if we cannot inspect the content of the microcode updates in the context of the architecture's schematics then it won't be trusted
Re: On “I don't trust microcode” (2021)
#10my bad - misread
There are good reasons to not trust microcode. For example, a certain instruction chain can be made to trigger backdoors on the CPU and allow direct memory access for attackers. Catching this might be rather hard, though definitely not impossible.
Same applies to CPUs without microcode due to hardware design bugs.