Don’t Use the Latest Intel Specter Patch
Concerned about protecting against Specter security vulnerabilities? Well, if you’ve already downloaded the Intel bug fixing update , be ready to download another one soon. Intel’s software fix is causing some random reboot issues that users experience, and the company urges consumers and manufacturers not to distribute the current update until it’s been updated.
Intel Executive Vice President Navin Shenoi said in a press release that the company has identified the cause of the accidental restart error affecting Intel processors built using the Haswell or Broadwell microarchitecture and is working with manufacturers to properly test and distribute the new patch. “We recommend that OEMs, cloud service providers, system manufacturers, software vendors and end users stop deploying current versions as they may cause more frequent than expected reboots and other unpredictable system behavior,” Shenoi said. In short, don’t update your computer just yet, but follow the manufacturer’s instructions before you start messing with the BIOS.
While it’s good to know that they are working on a fix, it still leaves users with a tough decision: download the bug fix and hope you are not harmed, or continue using your potentially compromised computer. You should, at least for now, choose the latter. If you haven’t taken the time to check if your computer is affected by the processor-specific Specter and Meltdown security vulnerabilities, you can wait a little longer.