Meltdown And Spectre CPU Flaws Must Be Addressed NOW

 

L9400 CPU

 

  The image above is that of a CPU in a system I was recently working on and it might be a victim of either the Meltdown or Spectre exploits. This is NOT limited to Intel processors and in fact it involves AMD, ARM and Qualcomm processors and likely even more. The potential impact of these vulnerabilities is not to be underestimated. This might be scarier than any ransomware yet released because these vulnerabilities can affect the core operation of almost any computer and the exact method of corrective action appears to be elusive. It's not about Windows, not about IOS, not about Linux; it is rather about the majority of central processing units that exist today no matter what software is involved.THAT means your computer's CPU (processor for short) - or even that of your smartphone - may well be the victim in these cases as opposed to whatever software that CPU is handling. Given the likely scope of impact it's rather clear that Meltdown and Spectre CPU flaws must be addressed NOW.

 

CES 2018 Will Show Much Of The Old, New, And Innovative Tech

 

CES

 

  We've seen much of this before, for sure - BUT - CES 2018 has a lot of new and innovative tech to show off. The Smart Home is not a new concept but it will likely see improved tech shown off at CES 2018 with manufacturers focusing on making the Smart Home even smarter. Phones are no stranger to CES and there will be presentations from several manufacturers with Samsung's S9 and S9 Plus likely to make an appearance. PCs in the form of desktops, laptops, tablets and of course hybrids will be on display and not aiming to disappoint with some new designs. Televisions will make yet another big splash at CES 2018 and it might be a bigger splash than ever before introducing new, innovative tech along with ridiculously large (150 inch?) screens. Audio won't be left out with new sound bars and integrated audio devices not to mention Android Auto gong wireless. Speaking of wireless - 5G is reported to have a huge impact at CES 2018 and all of these things indicate that CES 2018 will show much of the old, new, and innovative tech.

 

Mozilla Makes A Leap Forward With Firefox Quantum Browser

 

Firefox Quantum

 

  Mozilla is hardly new to the Internet, in fact their roots go back to Netscape in 1998 and they have a massive community of developers who have contributed to the success of Firefox for many years. The newest version of Firefox, dubbed "Quantum", introduces some new characteristics and functionality which keeps Mozilla's browser in competition with Google's Chrome and likely keeps it ahead of Internet Explorer. Firefox Quantum represents years of research and development on the part of Mozilla and it's contributors, and as a non-profit organization, Mozilla shows it can hold its own up against huge for-profit corporations as in Google and Microsoft. Now let's take a look at what makes Firefox Quantum an improved Internet browser and just how Mozilla makes a leap forward with Firefox Quantum browser.

 

What Still Works Today In Windows XP And What Does NOT

 

XP Firefox 2017

 

  It really is amazing that so many people still use Windows XP SP3 so long after Microsoft killed support for it. Well, they actually didn't kill support for that ever-so-popular Windows OS, they just "retired" support. There is a difference. Windows XP still receives certain (very few) updates which are considered to be critical by Microsoft (although the last was in June of 2017) because they know there is still a high enough number of computers running that Operating System to warrant a certain level of security related updates. Other than that last update - KB4025218 - which dealt with WannaCry and similar vulnerability exploits, there were a few others that month but none since unless Windows Defender is being used. We can't say that Windows Update is useful in Windows XP because it's sporadic at best so don't count on it. The simple fact is that Windows Update doesn't work in Windows XP to any real extent. You're probably not surprised and you shouldn't be but let's look at what still works today in Windows XP and what does NOT.

 

KRACK Attack Is Dangerous But You Can Mitigate The Threat

 

KRACK Attack

 

  The KRACK attack vulnerability exploit attacks, which basically put anyone using WPA wireless security potentially at risk, are all over the news because this can have very bad consequences. If a hacker uses this attack successfully against a wireless access point (i.e. a router) to which you connect wirelessly it is likely you are doing so with a WPA or WPA2 key (meaning a password), and that infrastructure is what can be compromised. Your password, no matter how strong it might be, has nothing to do with this threat and changing it would have absolutely no effect on the attack. KRACK is an abbreviation for Key Reinstallation Attack and what the means is the wireless attacker is not after your password but rather the last key involved in an otherwise invisible four way handshake between wireless device and wireless router. iOt devices as well as older Android devices are likely the most vulnerable but there are some saving graces and this demonstrates that the KRACK attack is dangerous but you can mitigate the threat in many cases.

 

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