Were You Affected by Intel Meltdown and Spectre Bugs?

If you have purchased a computer that contains an Intel processor within the last six years, your device is likely affected by the Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs.

Devices that may have been affected by the Intel processor design defect include laptops, servers, smartphones, or any other kind of computer component in the last four years. Devices with Intel processors may have been affected by significant security flaws known as the Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs, which have affected major operating systems including Windows, Mac, and Linux.

The Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs are Intel chip security flaws that make devices vulnerable to hackers, allowing them to steal data of apps that are currently running. This generally includes important data like emails, browsers, photos, documents, and even password managers. These Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs have affected nearly every computer since 1995.

Intel responded to the risk of Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs by developing a software patch to remedy the defect. However, the software patch actually slows down computers significantly—by as much as 30 percent. In some cases, computers are experiencing random reboots, over and over again. Intel has since advised consumers to stop installing the software patch.

Now, consumers and businesses are coming forward with class action lawsuits over both the harmful Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs and the problematic software patch, alleging that it incurred a number of damaging costs.

Intel Meltdown and Spectre Bugs

The Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs are two separate yet similar vulnerabilities in the Intel processor. Both the Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs expose a part of the computer’s operating system known as the “kernel” to risk of hacking. This is significant because one of the kernel’s essential functions is preventing the data stored in one program from being read by another. If the kernel is affected, hackers can take sensitive data from currently running programs. To make matters worse, antivirus software and system logs are both unable to detect if the kernel has been exploited like this.

These harmful Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs were first discovered by Google’s Project Zero researchers. One of the researchers noted that the bugs would “haunt us for years.”

Intel Security Patch

Intel released a software patch on Jan. 18, intended to fix the issue of both bugs. However, consumers quickly found that the patch significantly slowed their computers. Some found their computers randomly shutting down or rebooting repeatedly.

Just a few days later, on Jan. 22, Intel informed both manufacturers and users to “stop deployment of current version [of the patch], as they may introduce higher than expected reboots and other unpredictable system behavior.”

The company is now examining the issues with the defective software patches. In the meantime, countless consumers and corporations have been affected by the Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs, as well as the recent defective Intel software patch. Some consumers have been forced to pay for repairs or new devices, and corporations may have to pay thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars to replace all the devices affected by these defects.

Some are choosing to file class action lawsuits over the issue. If you were harmed by the Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs and the recent Intel software patch, you may have a legal claim.

Join a Free Intel Processor Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you or your company were negatively affected by the Intel processor defect, including suffering damages caused by installing the Intel software patch, you may have a legal claim.

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