Intel processors security bug fix could slow down PCs
A security flaw in Intel processors has led to a redesign Linux and Windows kernels. Programmers have been working for the last two months to protect against a hardware bug in Intel CPUs that could let attackers access security keys and passwords and cached files from disk. Security patches will be required for both Windows and Linux systems and may slow down performance. The security bug affects Intel processors manufactured over the last 10 years which means a lot of systems will require updates.
The Intel bug is related to the way apps and programs can discover the contents of protected kernel memory areas. Kernels have complete control over the entire system and connects applications to the processor, memory and other hardware. There is a flow in Intel processors that let attackers bypass kernel access protections so that apps can read the contents of kernel memory. To protect against this, programmers have been separating the kernel's memory away from user processes which is being called "Kernel Page Table Isolation." While Linux and MacOs patches have been rolling out over the past month, Windows patches are not yet available.