Intel Meltdown and Spectre Security Flaws Put Millions of Users at Risk

Individuals who purchased electronics with the Intel Meltdown and Spectre security flaws may be eligible to recover compensation through legal action.

Almost every device made within the last 20 years with an Intel processor is affected by the Intel Meltdown and Spectre flaws. Given their names by the computer industry, these security flaws may allow hackers to steal data from the memory of running apps. Information potentially at risk includes emails, browsers, photos, documents, and password managers.

When software programs are running, their information and memory is typically protected in kernel memory only to be used by the operating system. However, the Intel Meltdown and Spectre flaws allegedly allow running software programs to see data from other programs that should be walled off.

If a system is affected by malware, and a malicious program is running, the Intel Meltdown and Spectre security flaws reportedly allow these programs to see vital information that is usually only read by the operating system.

To make matters worse, the Intel Meltdown and Spectre security flaws cannot be scanned for by antivirus software or seen in system logs, making their repercussions difficult to avoid.

Although Intel released a software patch in January 2018 to remedy the security defects, the patch allegedly can slow down computers as much as 30 percent and cause other problems including random and repeated reboots. In response to these problems, Intel encourages consumers to “stop deployment of current versions [of the patch], as they may introduce higher than expected reboots and other unpredictable system behavior,” leaving consumers vulnerable once again.

Although the instant fear is the compromised nature of laptops and cell phones, everyday consumers are not the only ones affected by the issue. Massive corporations and small business owners will have to spend their own money to replace computers, servers, and other systems affected by the Intel Meltdown and Spectre security flaws.

Intel class action lawsuits have already been filed over the issue, claiming that consumers and corporations were damaged by the Intel Meltdown and Spectre security flaws. Many plaintiffs claim that they were forced to pay for a produce that did not work as intended. Others include claims of decreased performance and the related high energy costs.

One Intel lawsuit has been filed in a federal court in Illinois. This complaint alleges that Intel knew that their practice of cutting corners caused the Intel Meltdown and Spectre flaws a full year before they told consumers. Despite knowing about the issue, Intel allegedly “continued to sell CPUs at a price much higher than consumers would have paid for them had they known about the flaw.”

If you purchased a processor, computer, or server affected by the Intel Meltdown and Spectre security flaws within the last six years, you may qualify to join or initiate legal action to recover compensation. These lawsuits and class action lawsuits may be able to recover financial compensation for expenses related to the Intel Meltdown and Spectre flaws, punitive damages, breaches of security, and more.

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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