The security vulnerabilities revealed for Intel processors is arguably the worst way to start a new year, especially since repair requires complex steps for users and system administrators.
Of course the topic of Intel has already been discussed too much, but it is important to know that the users of windows, regardless of the version they are running, can stay protected with an update to their system.
But patching via Windows Update is only available on Windows 10, while all other systems will be able to automatically upgrade to patch tuesday – αυτό το μήνα, το Patch Tuesday of next week (January 9).
For those who use Windows and can't fix it until next week:
- Do not click on links from unknown sources,
- Do not download attachments that include files
- and generally stay away from URLs that you do not know are trustworthy.
Microsoft has already released updates for Windows to protect users of Edge and Internet Explorer 11 browsers, which could be used (via JavaScript) to exploit the flaws Meltdown and Specter.
Of course to be safe you need to have these updates installed.
Antivirus applications do not guarantee that they can protect you.
Although malware that exploits vulnerabilities in Intel processors can be detected and blocked, exploits are said to be more difficult to distinguish from clean applications running on your system.
Make sure you update the software you use for your protection, but do not rely entirely on it.
One of the worst things about these Intel vulnerabilities is that you can't tell if someone has compromised your system as well. leaves no traces. This means that an attacker can get into your computer, steal them codeyours and then leave without anyone understanding anything.
It should also be noted that Microsoft states that only systems with compatible antivirus applications can have security updates, and obviously the company means Windows Defender.
If your antivirus solutions are not compatible with the new security updates installed on the system, you can manually set the following registry key:
Key="HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" Subkey="SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\QualityCompat" Value="cadca5fe-87d3-4b96-b7fb-a231484277cc" Type="REG_DWORD
Microsoft has not given further details or named them productantiviruses that are not compatible with the updates, but it says:
"during the duration During our testing process, we discovered that some third-party applications make unsupported calls to Windows kernel memory that cause stop errors (also known as bluescreen errors). "
If you now have any of the following updates installed, you will need to restart your system.
More firmware updates we will probably see from Intel itself and other potentially affected vendors in the coming days.
Below you can find all the updates for Meltdown and Specter vulnerabilities that affect Windows (make sure you download the correct version for your system):