Intel Will No Longer Issue Spectre Patch For Some Older Chips

[Lucian Armasu]

Although Intel previously said that it would issue the Spectre patch for some decade-old CPUs, the company said that is no longer possible.

Intel Will No Longer Issue Spectre Patch For Some Older Chips : Read more

 

[zdzichu]

What a <mod edit> reason. microcode_ctl can be invoked to update microcode during runtime, or the microcode can be appended to kernel to be updated first. Linux distributions routinely ship microcode updates, so hiding behing BIOS vendors or Microsoft is a load of irrelevant crap.

 

[Clamyboy74]

lazy

 

[quallen]

you still have to get the microcode to the computer. and Linux is an OS, so the OS distributor is shipping updates, so where back to square one that the vole doesn't want to play.

 

[10tacle]

So basically my ten year old Wolfdale E8400 retro gaming PC is going to be hung out to dry. Way to go Intel. The more I hear stories like this, the more my next build will be AMD.

 

[nobspls]

10 year old AMDs were hung out to dry from day one.

 

[10tacle]

^^LOL not going to argue that. But making a promise and breaking it like Intel did is not cool. Not cool at all.

 

[Myrmidonas]

I have only one word for you Intel.....kalamata.

 

[10tacle]

I have only one word for you Intel.....kalamata.

Knowing how Apple loves to control things, that to me sounds like getting out of frying pan and jumping into the fire.

 

[vern72]

My Eaglelake gets no love...

 

[ElectrO_90]

My car was made prior to 2007, oh well, there is a huge design flaw... buy a new one - ain't my problem.
Losing everything through a hack, can be like losing a limb in an accident. It will cripple you, and the people who made the product are and should be made responsible in making it safe.

 

[justin.m.beauvais]

Realistically we are talking about expecting support for decade old products in the tech industry here. At no point in the history of tech was this ever thought as reasonable. We are talking about manufacturers going back to 9-12 yr old products to make updates for what are, at best, edge cases.

If you are using something that old, you are obscure, therefore less likely to be hacked. If you are using good security practices, that is a good second layer of security, on top of obscurity.

If these old machines are your daily driver, and you are worried about security, then you ought to upgrade. There is only so much you can do to secure an old system running old hardware and old software. They are like straw huts compared to newer homes made of wood or brick. There is only so much you can do to make a straw hut secure.

 

[redgarl]

It is a money pit, that's why.

 

[termathor]

"If neither motherboard manufacturers nor Microsoft are willing to deliver the patches, then there’s not much point for Intel to develop them."

Can't argue with this ... My Haswell mobo (ASUS ROG, yes, that outrageously expensive one) is still waiting for the fixed BIOS ...

 

[Karadjgne]

I'm sure all those really, really rich ppl pushing 10yr old pc's are quaking. Anybody abusing Spectre isn't chasing down ppl who can't afford new pc's, so why bother trying to fix something that's realistically not broke.

 

[10tacle]

^^You do realize that there is a new sub-PC builder hobby and building retro gaming PCs, right?

 

[marcelo_vidal]

still using a core 2 quad 9550 =) it's why i will get an amd system

 

[Karadjgne]

^^You do realize that there is a new sub-PC builder hobby and building retro gaming PCs, right?

Yep. And those retro gaming pc's prolly have a lot of personal and banking and all the other stuff that Spectre would profit from....

G forbid someone hack my Frogger machine

 

[Myrmidonas]

I have only one word for you Intel.....kalamata.

Knowing how Apple loves to control things, that to me sounds like getting out of frying pan and jumping into the fire.

You are right, intel's stock price lately reflects exactly that argument.

 

[nobspls]

My car was made prior to 2007, oh well, there is a huge design flaw... buy a new one - ain't my problem.
Losing everything through a hack, can be like losing a limb in an accident. It will cripple you, and the people who made the product are and should be made responsible in making it safe.

Actually losing a limb and losing personal/private data thru a hack is NOT the same. This is hyperbolic exaggeration.

But even if they were the same, and it would be nice that people making stuff should take responsibility to make things safe, you still run into the problem or reality.

 

[mgallo848]

Buys a $150 chip 10 years ago....
Threatens not to buy another Intel cause there chip is no longer supported.
Buys a new AMD chip and keeps that for 10 years.....
Yea, you're the type of consumer companies fear losing, lol

 

[mgallo848]

"their"...
No edit function?

 

[10tacle]

"their"...
No edit function?

First, there is an edit button. Second, in years past I'd upgrade to a new Intel chipset every two years as I've done since 1998. However, since Sandy Bridge and 2011, there has been no need to upgrade every generation or tick/tock. So as far as I'm concerned, Intel is leaving me - I'm not leaving Intel. And I'm far from alone. Irrespective of the other issues like this article references.

 

[mgallo848]

Sandy Bridge isn't on the list of chips not getting the patch.

 

[JonDol]

Cheap excuse hiding behind Microsoft but what about those 'oldies' that run Windows 8.1 or even 10 ?