This could include passwords, encryption keys, and other highly-sensitive data. With enough time and data gathering, the sneaky program can build a map of what’s in the computer’s memory, including the memory used by the kernel - the core of the OS. The problem - as security researchers from Google discovered last year - is that by measuring how long it takes for a CPU to process individual instructions, a sneaky program can make very good guesses about what other instructions have recently been executed. If asked to do something unexpected, the CPU merely discards its predicted results and carries out the new instructions instead. The advantage to speculative execution is that if a program or operating system asks the CPU to do something it has already anticipated, the CPU can deliver the results immediately. The result being that if they ask you to put on the kettle in the morning, you know that they’d like you to make some black tea, with sugar, in teacups for the both of you.įor the last two decades, computer processors have been doing something similar. Instead of waiting for your partner to issue individual requests every time, (put on the kettle, get down some black tea, grab us some teacups, etc) you start to anticipate their requests in the name of expediency. If it’s evening, they’ll ask for a decaffeinated, herbal tea. If it’s morning, they’ll ask you to get down the black tea. As a routine develops, you begin to predict their next requests. “Could you put on the kettle?” they ask, and so you do. Imagine that every morning and evening, your roommate and/or significant other asks you to make tea. Meltdown and Spectre are security vulnerabilities which exploit a feature in many modern CPUs called speculative execution. That said, it’s also important that everyday users have some sort of primer on how these bugs will affect them, and what kinds of things users can do to protect themselves. The vulnerabilities are serious, their explanations complex, and their ramifications have shaken the technology industry to its core. One of these two vulnerabilities affects not just Intel processors, but nearly every CPU made in the last 20 years. If you’ve glanced at any technology news this week, you probably already know that the tech world has been rocked by a pair of new, major security vulnerabilities.

Worried about the CPU vulnerabilities being reported in the news? Our contributor Jesse Schooff has the low-down on Meltdown/Spectre, and how you can protect yourself. What is Meltdown/Spectre and How Does it Affect You?

Meltdown and spectre