Microsoft issues new Windows 10 patches to mitigate Intel Foreshadow and Spectre vulnerabilities

Stand-alone Windows 10 update rushed out following Foreshadow CPU security flaw disclosure

Microsoft has issued stand-alone patches for Windows 10 intended to mitigate the risks posed by the Foreshadow and Spectre vulnerabilities to Intel microprocessors.

The patch covers a wide range of Intel CPUs, from 2012's Ivy Bridge to CPUs bearing the latest eighth-generation microarchitecture, dubbed Coffee Lake.

"This update is a stand-alone update targeted for Windows 10 version 1803 (Windows 10 April 2018 Update) and Windows Server Version 1803 (Server Core)," explains Redmond's support page.

"This update also includes Intel microcode updates that were already released for these operating systems at the time of release to manufacturing (RTM). We will offer additional microcode updates from Intel through this article for these operating systems as they become available to Microsoft."

Mitigation against Spectre Variant 2 needs to be enabled on Windows servers via registry settings, it adds.

The microcode update has been pushed out to protect users against exploits based on the Foreshadow technique, revealed last week. Uncovered by a team including researchers at Belgium's Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Intel was given plenty of notice before the researchers published their paper.

The updates should be pushed out automatically to the average Windows 10 laptop or desktop, whether users want it or not. But organisations with highly managed IT infrastructures and/or patching processes will require the patches to be manually pushed out.

Article updated on 24 August following the withdrawal of Intel's benchmarking licence condition. See new story here

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