BSODs from Meltdown and Spectre Firmware Updates Are Spreading Like the Plague

[Chino]

Have you ever taken your car to the mechanic shop to fix one thing but end up breaking another? Well, that's how Intel CPU owners are feeling right now. Intel previously confirmed that their Meltdown and Spectre firmware updates are causing irritating reboots on systems with Broadwell and Haswell processors. After analyzing the latest customer reports, they are acknowledging that the updates are also causing BSODs on the Kaby Lake, Skylake, Ivy Bridge, and Sandy Bridge platforms. This shouldn't come as a shocker considering how both the Meltdown and Spectre exploits affect Intel processors over the past 20 years. The possibility of all platforms suffering from the same side effects is extremely high. Fear not, though, as Intel is already working on an updated microcode to fix the constant system reboots. Motherboard vendors should have the beta microcode for validation by next week. Expect a new BIOS revision for your motherboard soon.


View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[ExV6k]

I thought they wouldn't patch Sandy Bridge chips? How come they're affected too?

 

[KarymidoN]

I thought they wouldn't patch Sandy Bridge chips? How come they're affected too?

Every CPU Built since 1995 it's affected.

 

[Katanai]

Some people here laughed at me when I've said I will not download this update. They called me foolish, all kinds of names. Well I can say that after not installing this cancer, my CPU is doing fine and my system is as safe as ever. I have just one question for you: How do you like your gimped CPU's so far?

 

[Cybrnook2002]

Everything in the last decade ~. Sandy was the 2nd gen based on "core" release that came out around that time, and most of what we are using today was built off that. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if this affects Nehalem as well.

 

[kruk]

Some people here laughed at me when I've said I will not download this update. They called me foolish, all kinds of names. Well I can say that after not installing this cancer, my CPU is doing fine and my system is as safe as ever. I have just one question for you: How do you like your gimped CPU's so far?

When a ring 3 userspace program gets ring 0 kernel privileges you will change your mind (info on what are protection rings) ...
Please, don't take these bugs lightly, it could be a costly mistake.

 

[okiheh]

When a ring 3 userspace program gets ring 0 kernel privileges you will change your mind (info on what are protection rings) ...
Please, don't take these bugs lightly, it could be a costly mistake.

Costly i what hardware / data ?

 

[Ed_1]

Hold on, if the BSOD is from firmware, how are the older 2xxx, 3xxx etc getting issues when no bios microcode has been released to users?

Maybe they mean internal testing.

 

[ExV6k]

Every CPU Built since 1995 it's affected.

My bad. My sentence was a bit messy, you got me wrong. My question was how come sandy bridge chips are affected by this random reboot issue since intel said they wouldn't patch them?

Hold on, if the BSOD is from firmware, how are the older 2xxx, 3xxx etc getting issues when no bios microcode has been released to users?

Maybe they mean internal testing.

That's exactly what I'm wondering!

 

[TheOne]

Now I'm glad I decided to wait to update my BIOS.

 

[kruk]

Costly i what hardware / data ?

Data which is in RAM: passwords, encryption keys, bank details, personal information, etc. And since evil apps leave no traces when exploiting these flaws, you will never know which data has been leaked and when.

 

[Katanai]

When a ring 3 userspace program gets ring 0 kernel privileges you will change your mind (info on what are protection rings) ...
Please, don't take these bugs lightly, it could be a costly mistake.

When, how, why and if that happens, I will deal with it then. I am not the NSA, I have no true sensitive information in my system. I do have a desire for my system to work at its full potential, like it's doing right now. I have yet to see one report of a user on this planet with over 7 billion human beings having their system exploited by this vulnerability. I have heard though that some users in Germany were tricked into downloading malware because of this artificial crisis. Now I hear a lot of people are having random restarts after downloading this cancer right here. Well, it looks to me that maybe, people who jumped on this bandwagon were the foolish ones and my initial instinct to wait until this is sorted was kinda right. When I will hear that this vulnerability is being widely exploited all around the world and there is a real security risk for my system, I'll consider downloading the final patch for this problem, not the beta cancer people downloaded now. In the mean time, like I've said from the start, the only reasons to do such a thing are to willingly gimp your CPU and to destroy your system's stability. As there is no threat, right now, not tomorrow, not in imagination land, not one year from now, those are the only reasons why you would download such a thing at this time...

 

[trog100]

i have had three machine blue screen on me.. all kabylaike machines.. oddly enough once on each machine.. one machine didnt actually blue screen it just locked up solid and had to be manually rebooted.. the other two windows politely did it for me.. he he

something aint quite right with this patch..

trog

 

[Readlight]

Lately happens a loot in Steam BSOD when i set download time limit.

 

[RoutedScripter]

The "always-on" and "auto-update" crowd can enjoy being lab rats yet again. Have fun.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

When, how, why and if that happens, I will deal with it then. I am not the NSA, I have no true sensitive information in my system. I do have a desire for my system to work at its full potential, like it's doing right now. I have yet to see one report of a user on this planet with over 7 billion human beings having their system exploited by this vulnerability. I have heard though that some users in Germany were tricked into downloading malware because of this artificial crisis. Now I hear a lot of people are having random restarts after downloading this cancer right here. Well, it looks to me that maybe, people who jumped on this bandwagon were the foolish ones and my initial instinct to wait until this is sorted was kinda right. When I will hear that this vulnerability is being widely exploited all around the world and there is a real security risk for my system, I'll consider downloading the final patch for this problem, not the beta cancer people downloaded now. In the mean time, like I've said from the start, the only reasons to do such a thing are to willingly gimp your CPU and to destroy your system's stability. As there is no threat, right now, not tomorrow, not in imagination land, not one year from now, those are the only reasons why you would download such a thing at this time...

Ignoring that, once you are infected, patching will do jack. Any ifection that takes up residence thanks to this vulnerability would be impossible to remove from the hardware if it writes itself to bios or CPU firmware, and could block future updates, leaving you with a permanently pwned system.

Part of the reason this vulnerability is so dangerous is people like you that leave their systems vulnerable. By the time you hear about widespread exploits, it will likely be too late for you.

 

[WikiFM]

https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...de-channel-analysis-and-intel-products.html#4
According to this link all processors since Nehalem are affected and will be patched.
https://newsroom.intel.com/news-releases/intel-issues-updates-protect-systems-security-exploits/
This other says that the processors from 5 years or newer will be patched sooner, but I have an Ivy Bridge and I also received the patch a few days ago.

 

[Katanai]

Ignoring that, once you are infected, patching will do jack. Any ifection that takes up residence thanks to this vulnerability would be impossible to remove from the hardware if it writes itself to bios or CPU firmware, and could block future updates, leaving you with a permanently pwned system.

Part of the reason this vulnerability is so dangerous is people like you that leave their systems vulnerable. By the time you hear about widespread exploits, it will likely be too late for you.

Yeah, I am the problem, not that this patch makes your computers BSOD and restart. It's me, that pays hundreds of dollars for 10% more CPU performance and is unwilling to accept something that can reduce CPU performance by as much as 30% and if something like you described were to happen would gladly pay to swap his motherboard and or CPU out. I am the problem buddy, because those fears that are in your head right now don't infect me like most likely nothing will infect my computer in the immediate future. We will see what the future brings but for now, enjoy your gimped CPU while I enjoy my uninfected, 100% capable, totally stable, safe and secure system...

 

[Red_Machine]

My motherboard hasn't had a BIOS update since 2012, so I'm not holding my breath for a fix for these.

 

[Paganstomp]

I have not been affected by BSOD with Windows 10 Build 16299.192. Not all systems are alike and not everybody buys a Dell or HP.

 

[P4-630]

I have not been affected by BSOD with Windows 10 Build 16299.192. Not all systems are alike and not everybody buys a Dell or HP.

View attachment 96133

Uhm, your BIOS (firmware) is from 03/28/2016 , not sure if there will be a BIOS update for your H97M-E board.
https://www.asus.com/News/V5urzYAT6myCC1o2

 

[fullinfusion]

Some people here laughed at me when I've said I will not download this update. They called me foolish, all kinds of names. Well I can say that after not installing this cancer, my CPU is doing fine and my system is as safe as ever. I have just one question for you: How do you like your gimped CPU's so far?

Yep I'm with ya on that one bud. I tend to sit back and wait myself too.

 

[Mussels]

So whats going on with BIOS updates for older boards? I've got everything from 1st gen through 7th here in the house (some are repair jobs, not my personal machines), and many have not had BIOS updates in years - are we really expecting companies to fire up BIOS updates for their discontinued products?

 

[Steevo]

How and why does it happen?

Program A issues an instruction which the CPU realizes can be sped up by fetching the next instruction, which it does by handing off a request to read, and load data at or from a memory address that it doesn't have access to, Windows memory manager sees this and to prevent access BSOD's your machine. Windows gets the patch (as its Windows Kernel and Memory Manager) but Intel has to provide microcode that either prevents the read request, modifying the request, or performing a lookup to see if the request is for data within the memory address space allocated to the thread that launched request, or prevent the read from occuring, which will cause a slow down in processing.

 

[lexluthermiester]

As both of these problems are very difficult to exploit, and near impossible for those with a good/secure computing ethic, applying updates is not on the fore-front of my mind ATM. People need to chill and think logically instead of over-reacting and responding rashly.

Every CPU Built since 1995 it's affected.

1993 actually. The first affected CPU was the original Pentium CPU. It is unclear if the 486 was affected on any level.

So whats going on with BIOS updates for older boards? I've got everything from 1st gen through 7th here in the house (some are repair jobs, not my personal machines), and many have not had BIOS updates in years - are we really expecting companies to fire up BIOS updates for their discontinued products?

Unlikely for anything older than 4th gen Core-i series. But who knows..