Intel, Google And Microsoft Discover New Low-Risk Chip Flaws

Intel INTC, Alphabet GOOGL's Google and Microsoft MSFT recently revealed two new security bugs, namely Speculative Store Buffer Bypass or Variant 4 and Rogue System Registry Read.

The new flaws resemble the Spectre and Meltdown issues that had surfaced earlier this year. Intel had then witnessed a sharp decline in share prices. Spectre affected the functioning of chips developed by Advanced Micro Devices AMD and ARM Holdings.

Per Microsoft's blog, the new vulnerabilities carry low customer risk. As an advisory, the impacted users are asked to timely update both their software and hardware. Intel, AMD and Red Hat RHT have released advisories as well.

Intel also reaffirmed that expanding their bug bounty program and other measures are likely to aid the industry counter upcoming threats. This will consequently mitigate the possibility of compromising cyber security.

A couple of days before the tech stalwarts announced the bugs officially as part of Google Project Zero ("GPZ"), Reuters revealed in an article that BSI, Germany's federal cyber agency had analyzed the flaws which they termed, Spectre-Next Generation. Per BSI, the risk could only be mitigated and not eradicated.

Intel had then cited its "coordinated disclosure" policy, by which security researchers and companies are not allowed to release information about bugs until patches are ready.

Earlier this month, Reuters had revealed in another article, that per a German computing magazine, c't, researchers had found eight new flaws "in computer central processing units that resemble the Meltdown and Spectre bugs revealed in January."

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