Microsoft issues emergency Windows update to disable Intel’s buggy Spectre fixes

[steven36]

Microsoft has been forced to issue a second out-of-band security update this month, to deal with the issues around Intel’s Spectre firmware updates. Intel warned last week that its own security updates have been buggy, causing some systems to spontaneously reboot. Intel then buried a warning in its latest financial results that its buggy firmware updates could lead to “data loss or corruption.”

 

Intel has been advising PC makers and customers to simply stop updating their firmware right now, until properly tested updates are available. Microsoft has gone a step further, and is issuing a new software update for Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 systems to disable protection against Spectre variant 2. Microsoft says its own testing has found that this update prevents the reboots that have been occurring.

 

Microsoft has issued the update as part of its Windows Update catalog, which means you’ll need to download it manually for now. It’s worth applying it to systems that are experiencing the issues since Intel’s buggy firmware updates. Microsoft is also releasing a new registry key setting for impacted devices, allowing IT admins to manually disable or enable the Spectre variant 2 protections.

 

 

Intel says it has identified the issues behind the unexpected reboots on Broadwell and Haswell processors and is working toward releasing an update that addresses the exploits without causing random reboots and data loss. Ivy Bridge, Sandy Bridge, Skylake, and Kaby Lake processors are also affected, and Intel says it’s “actively working on developing solutions” for those platforms too.

 

It’s clear patching for Spectre variant 2 has been a mess, fuelled by how quickly the software updates needed to be built and distributed. Buggy Intel firmware updates, problems on some AMD machines, and two emergency Windows updates in a month is strong evidence that these patches weren’t tested widely enough before their release. Let’s hope the updates currently in development aren’t “complete and utter garbage.”

 

Source

 

 

[ZaG]

I think MS is worse for my computer than Meltdown! I have nothing on my system that is so worth guarding I would risk bricking my system by applying buggy MS patches.

[WALLONN7]

1 hour ago, ZaG said:

I think MS is worse for my computer than Meltdown! I have nothing on my system that is so worth guarding I would risk bricking my system by applying buggy MS patches.

 

Agreed but...

Do not forget to add Intel to your list... It all started in it... And it also ended, since it released its own updates, did another shit and recommended that no one else install them!!!

[Katzenfreund]

Indeed, to be fair and objective, Microsoft only tried to fix the fix, due to Intel's double fault. So Intel should receive a red card. And if MS can do better work on Intel's products than Intel itself, it is to the credit of Microsoft.

 

As regards Microsoft updates in general, my personal view, apparently not shared by everybody, is that they should be applied. On the fairly rare occasion that they cause trouble, a new update is soon brought out to fix it. But it's clearly worse for security, stability and functionality reasons to disable the updates. 

 

As for the trouble attributed to MS updates, it's always my admittedly disputed view, that it's usually due to system changes brought about by the user.  The updates act on the unmodified system and may not work well on an altered system they don't expect to find. So it's not good practice to mess up your system with unauthorized mods, scripts, fixes and functions, and then blame the MS updates.

 

P.S. I don't work for Microsoft and have personally also had occasional (rare) problems with their updates, but never serious and lasting ones.