Intel Meltdown and Spectre Patch Caused Its Own Set of Issues, Users Say

In January 2018, information which had been known for seven months regarding computer central processing unit (CPU) flaws was publicized. These flaws were named the Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs and are microchip design flaws that affect just about every computer made in the last couple of decades.

As a remedy to address the Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs, Intel came up with a quick fix that caused the technological giant more problems.

What did the Intel Meltdown and Spectre Bugs Allow?

According to a federal Intel lawsuit filed in mid-April 2018, the Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs opened the door for hackers to develop malevolent software that could infiltrate and steal vital data from a computer’s memory.

The Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs were flaws that attacked the kernel memory of the computer in question. This could occur without the user having any awareness. The purported access could include login names and passwords that would open the door to innumerable other sources of vital information on a user.

What is User Mode vs. Kernel Mode?

User memory or mode is a status of a CPU when it is receiving the input a user gives it from keyboard and mouse activity. Kernel memory or mode is when the CPU takes the input and interacts with the hardware of the computer to carry out the commands given it.

An efficient operating system switches in between these two modes constantly—receiving instructions and carrying them out by saving, opening other documents, websites, and other requests.

For speed of processing, the kernel mode is ever on the ready in the background, but the associated code and data should not be accessible to other software. The Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs are flaws that allow this code and data to be seen while it is running in the background by other open software.

Of particularly dangerous note is the fact that these flaws allow for spying that is not easily discernible by the computers themselves or security software.

To address these serious security issues, an Intel Meltdown and Spectre Bug patch was created with code that was supposed to override the microchip processing flaws and correct it. Unfortunately, the patch created further and separate problems.

According to the Intel Meltdown lawsuit, the patch caused the CPUs to ignore kernel memory in Intel microprocessors. The direct consequence was a dramatic lowering of the speed at which the computers were able to process input.

Reported performance records indicate that CPUs an 30 percent less efficiently after the Meltdown-Spectre patch was applied to the problem.

Once the Intel Meltdown and Spectre bug was discovered, sales of computers continued while the public remained in the dark. The advertising campaign purportedly continued to paint a picture of the ultra-fast speeds of CPUs with Intel processors, while a patch was being created behind the scenes that would ultimately slow these computers down significantly.

According to the plaintiffs in several Intel lawsuits, the alleged omission and failure to warn on behalf of the Intel company resulted in thousands of individuals and businesses purchasing and downloading patches, discovering reduction in efficiency, and spending money on further attempts to remedy such as diagnostics and computer replacement.

Join a Free Intel Meltdown and Spectre Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

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

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