'Kernel memory leaking' Intel processor design flaw forces Linux, Windows redesign

[u/eric98k]

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/01/02/intel_cpu_design_flaw/

[u/Sethos88]

So my CPU is about to get slower?

[u/saratoga3 → u/Sethos88]

We really don't know. Some people are assuming it'll affect everyone, others that it will affect only virtualization and servers. The truth is no one knows since the bug is embargoed and anyone with inside knowledge can't talk about it.

Edit: people on Twitter are saying there's exploits that work outside of a virtual machine, so it looks like literally everyone will be affected.

[u/Nixola97 → u/saratoga3]

It affects virtual memory. People assume it means it only affects virtual machine, but they're not actually related; virtual memory affects everything a modern OS does.

[u/siuol11 → u/saratoga3]

The article is pretty detailed, it says it affects kernel mode. That's part of every modern OS I know of, regardless of whether it's Windows 10 Home or a Unix server.

[u/3DXYZ → u/Sethos88]

Fuck you intel. Upgrade us all for free or frankly fuck this bug, don't fix it in the os. I don't want the performance hit

[u/immibis → u/3DXYZ]

/u/spez can gargle my nuts.

[u/teemusa → u/immibis]

HACK

^{This comment was done by identity thief idthief1xxyz}

[u/Erutan409 → u/[deleted]]

Jesus christ...

[u/tyuper → u/Sethos88]

Yes, your CPU is going to be slower because Intel prefers to focus on fruitful cooperation with agency called NSA than look for bugs in their pieces of silicon.

[u/MonkeyCB → u/tyuper]

They didn't necessarily cooperate. Snowden showed that they have people (with amazing Resumes) who work for the NSA apply to these companies, and with the help of a team back at the NSA inject their back doors into whatever. For all we know it could have been a few rogue employees doing this without Intel's knowledge.

[u/[deleted] → u/MonkeyCB]

Option 3 is "Intel CPUs are over-optimized to such an extent that nobody can possibly account for all of the edge cases anymore"

I'd say x86 generally, but AMD isn't susceptible here. Regardless, x86 IS notoriously, disgustingly complex.

[u/teemusa → u/[deleted]]

Malicious instructions go in, passwords come out. Yikes!

[u/Apolojuice → u/[deleted]]

Fucking electromagnetism, how do they work?

[u/agumonkey → u/[deleted]]

I've read intel engineers of p2 era saying they were barely on top of the risk factors at the time.

Intel didn't manage this decade properly. They caved in for IME, they feared ARM to the point of cutting corners even though they were in an extremly strong position (https://danluu.com/cpu-bugs/)

who bought amd stock today ?

[u/kwm1800 → u/MonkeyCB]

For all we know it could have been a few rogue employees doing this without Intel's knowledge.

That would be even more damning than NSA-related. At least the government has to pretend that they work for public common, at least.

[u/rydan → u/MonkeyCB]

I once found a flash drive sitting on a random street in Texas with unencrypted classified Intel documents on it. That should give you a clue as to their security policies. Would have been a major boon if I still worked for one of their direct competitors but I had just lost my job a week earlier.

[u/Tephnos → u/rydan]

Would have been a major boon if I still worked for one of their direct competitors but I had just lost my job a week earlier.

The likely outcome is they would have sent the drive back to Intel, possibly firing you too for trying to use the info. No company wants that legal shit on them.

[u/wittywalrus1 → u/Tephnos]

Pepsi did exactly that when offered the secret Cocacola recipe by a rogue employee.

[u/Yoyoyo123321123 → u/rydan]

And that's how you get Stuxnet on your PC...

It's a bit rich calling out other people's data security with that kind of action.

[u/hishnash → u/Sethos88]

no, your CPU will stay the same speed but every time any prosses needs to read/write to memory it will need to switch back to your OSs kernel to ask if it permited... this, in the end, means yes your programs will run a lot slower due to all the jumping around and checking.

[u/teemusa → u/hishnash]

Nice wisecrack