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Re: [LUG] OT: Fwd: Latest windows security update is bricking AMD-based PCs

 

On Tue, Jan 09, 2018 at 04:42:47PM +0000, mr meowski wrote:
> The signal to noise ratio on the whole Spectre/Meltdown situation is
> untenable at the moment so I seriously advise just ignoring all the
> sensationalist and uninformed crap flying around online and wait for
> calmer, saner professional heads to chime in with rock solid information
> over the coming few days. Our very own Martijn Grooten for example
> actually works in the security industry and hopefully may pop in with a
> clear and concise summary from the frontline at some point (hint hint
> Martijn!)

Oh, hello. Still reading the list, despite not having set foot in the
West Country for several years now.

Anyway, I think the sensible advice for average users is to just install
patches whenever they come available and not to worry too much about it
apart from that. Much as the vulnerabilities sound scary, they're
unlikely going to be used widely. Running an out-of-date Flash Player,
or a remotely accessible router with a hardcoded default password, are
far bigger risks for most users.

If you're running more advanced systems/networks, you should of course
test the patches before rolling them out, as there have been reports of
some systems crashing after a patch was installed. And if you're running
heavy-load servers, you may actually notice some difference in
performance.

Martijn.


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