Intel has announced that it has released microcode to fix the Spectre vulnerability. This is an updated version meant to replace an earlier patch that caused computers to reboot at random; one that has since been disabled by Microsoft to preserve PC usability.
This new microcode is meant to be later distributed by OEMs in their own updates, which should be coming relatively soon. It currently only caters to sixth through eighth generation Intel processors, as well as Intel Xeon Scalable and Xeon D processors for data centres.
The earlier patch was thought to only cause issues with Haswell and older processors; as they were not tested during the beta phase. However, later reports indicated that all Intel processors were causing random reboots. A situation which lead to Intel to pull the fix and advise users to rollback their machines in the event that it was installed. Microsoft later issued a Windows security patch to undo the Intel fix as well.
Older Intel chips still remain unpatched, and it look like Intel is being cautious in its release of the fix.
Both Meltdown and Spectre were considered to be a massive problem for the computing industry, seeing as they exploited rules that allowed processors to be more efficient. While fears that the fixes would reduce performance have proven to be unfounded, as any dip in power seems to only be noticeable when running high performance software.
However, Intel is still facing some backlash over the matter. Consumer groups in the US have begun suing the company for withholding its knowledge over vulnerabilities. Despite that it is standard procedure to keep quiet in order to fix the problem without tipping off hackers and cybercriminals.
[Source: Intel]
