Intel's newest CPU's and Specter/Meltdown hardware fixes... Where are they?

[Grimlakin]

I've been trying to find solid information on the newest of Intel's CPU's on if they actually contain hardware fixes for these various vulnerabilities.  So far the best I have found is the most current silicone has fixes for two of the so far discovered Variants of the Specter/Meltdown vulnerabilities.

 

I suppose Intel just presumes we will all forget about this.  In honesty they have maybe 1 more year of just ordering intel because that's what we have before we investigate alternatives like AMD's EPYC Cpu's for our core infrastructure.

 

Anyone hear any more promising news out of Intel?

[jordancregan193]

8 minutes ago, Grimlakin said:

silicone

Like the stuff you fill walls with?

[UnwantedLinks]

You mean "Silicone Lottery?"

 

[Grimlakin]

This from people who have no answer other than to post snide remarks. Thanks guys.

[D13H4RD]

They’re probably focusing on hardware-level fixes for the next generation processors.

 

Haven't heard of a software-level mitigation yet from them 

[Mira Yurizaki]

Spectre affects any processor with speculative execution, including AMD processors. So let's not forget that they need to keep up with mitigating or preventing those vulnerabilities as well. I hope in the future now with AMD gaining more prominence in the server sector, that people give them as much scrutiny as they do Intel. Because it's really annoying that people find a vulnerability with modern implementations of x86 and they go "theoretically this could affect AMD processors," but nobody does a follow up to make sure.

 

As for Meltdown, Intel reported hardware fixes were implemented in Coffee Lake R (the 9th generation Core processors)

[Arika]

On 12/20/2018 at 8:51 AM, Grimlakin said:

I suppose Intel just presumes we will all forget about this.

Or the more normal reason being that it's hard to fix them, like really hard. They have to almost fully resign the entire architecture of the CPU since they really on vulnerabilities that are deep seated in the core design of what makes today's CPUs faster. 

 

It will take time for every vulnerability to be mitigated, likely multiple generations. Your expectation that everything would be fixed in a single generation shows how much you don't actually unstand it. 

 

Hell even everyone's godsend AMD are unlikely to be able to fix all of their spectre vulnerabilities in Zen2

[Sauron]

On 12/19/2018 at 10:51 PM, Grimlakin said:

I've been trying to find solid information on the newest of Intel's CPU's on if they actually contain hardware fixes for these various vulnerabilities.  So far the best I have found is the most current silicon has fixes for two of the so far discovered Variants of the Specter/Meltdown vulnerabilities.

 

I suppose Intel just presumes we will all forget about this.  In honesty they have maybe 1 more year of just ordering intel because that's what we have before we investigate alternatives like AMD's EPYC Cpu's for our core infrastructure.

 

Anyone hear any more promising news out of Intel?

That's more or less all there is to know, proper hardware fixes probably won't be coming for at least another generation. With that said, most spectre/meltdown variants require hyperthreading to be enabled and the 9xxx series only has HT on the highest end chip, so technically they are safer.

[Grimlakin]

Sorry I'm not talking consumer grade CPU's here but I get your point.  I'm still a fan of Hyperthreading as I think it uses more of he cores that we do have.