New Intel Lawsuit Filed Over Defects and Performance Issues

After many computers with Intel processors were affected by a serious security flaw, those who installed the Intel patch that was intended to fix the problem may now be experiencing performance issues.

A new Intel lawsuit has been filed by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) over the computer chip security flaw and defective patch. According to the lawsuit, consumers were forced to pay a premium on Intel chips that had much lower performance speeds than advertised due to the patch that was intended to fix major security bugs.

The class action Intel lawsuit was filed on behalf of anyone in the United States who purchased an Intel CPU. The Intel lawsuit was alleges multiple claims including breach of implied warranty.

Intel Chip Security Flaws

Intel security flaws now known as Meltdown and Spectre have affected every Intel chip since 1995. Since Intel is the largest computer chip manufacturer, countless devices and consumers have been affected by these flaws. So how bad are these security flaws? As it turns out, pretty bad.

Meltdown and Spectre leave devices vulnerable to hackers by allowing access to the data of currently-running apps. This can include extremely important data from apps like email, internet browser, photos, documents, or even password managers. After discovering these security flaws, Intel responded by developing a new software patch to fix the problems.

Intel Security Patch

Intel released a software patch on Jan. 18 that was intended to fix the security flaws from both bugs.

However, the software patch itself presented a new problem. Although it fixes the security issues, it can also significantly slow down the chip’s performance speed. For some, the performance is slowed by only a few percent, but for others the performance slowdown can be as much as 30 percent—a drastic difference in performance. Some users reported that their computers are experiencing random and repetitive reboots.

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.”

Countless consumers and even businesses have been affected by not only the initial Meltdown and Spectre security flaws but also the defective Intel software patch and its performance slowdown. Some have spent significant money due to these issues, either for repairs or for new devices. Corporations, too, may have been left to pay thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars to replace the devices affected by the defects.

Filing an Intel Lawsuit

Consumers and corporations are coming forward with class action lawsuits over both the harmful Intel Meltdown and Spectre bugs and the problematic software patch alleging that it caused a number of damages—including cost of repair or even replacement of the devices.

If you were harmed by the Intel Meltdown and Spectre security bugs and the performance issues caused by the recent Intel software patch, you may be able to file an Intel lawsuit.

The Intel Lawsuit is UFCW v. Intel Corp., Case No. 1:18-cv-00574, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

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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