The computer industry was scrambling Wednesday to patch recently discovered security vulnerabilities found in processors used on almost every computer in the world, CNBC reported.
The vulnerabilties — one called “Meltdown,” another “Spectre” — could allow hackers to steal information stored in the memory of a wide range of computer chips running not just on personal devices but also the servers in data centers, including those used to run cloud computing services.
Hackers could even use the vulnerabilities to steal information stored in the memory of the chip itself, including things such as passwords and cached files. It could also pave the way for attackers to weaken other security features.
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich told CNBC that Google first alerted it to the vulnerability, and Google has published a detailed rundown of the exploits.
