Intel server-grade CPUs impacted by new NetCAT attack
Academics from the Vrije University in Amsterdam have detailed today a new attack on Intel CPUs.
Named NetCAT, this is a vulnerability in all Intel chips that support the Data-Direct I/O Technology (Intel DDIO) and Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) features.
When these two features are enabled, academics have shown that they can launch an attack on remote, networked computers, and infer certain types of data that is being processed inside the CPU's cache.
Intel Apollo Lake CPUs May Die Sooner Than Expected
As detailed in a recent Product Change Notification (PCN) document, Intel is refreshing four of the company's Celeron and Pentium Apollo Lake processors due to degradation concerns. The problem stems from the same issue that initially cropped up with the C2000 Atom family, which had enough of an impact that Intel had to establish a reserve fund to cover the costs associated with replacing the processors.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 11 2019, @01:01PM (5 children)
I switched to the latest version of mint from an unupdated windows 7 and can definately notice a difference in performance. How do I turn this off?
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Wednesday September 11 2019, @01:13PM (2 children)
It depends on whether it was a good or bad difference in performance...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 11 2019, @02:17PM (1 child)
Well, on windows I tried to view some nazi content and when I left the room for a moment the computer restarted itself. On linux it just let me view the content.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 11 2019, @02:21PM
Does that mean the SPLC and ADL use Linux? They can't have their computers rebooting every time they want to track the Nahtzees.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 11 2019, @01:58PM (1 child)
Generally Linux was always a bit slower in responsiveness than equivalent Windows, but faster at computation. This is usually connected to different time allocation (you aren't used kernel built for servers?) as well as some device drivers which have really poor routines while handling some data structures, this is especially visible in some storage block device drivers. Linux is also poor in efficiency while using hardware ports and this is by design. It is just not possible to use ports in realtime, you need to purchase another computer or microcontroller for it.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday September 11 2019, @02:15PM
Yes, but it's still a progress: you can't use win7 virtually anytime. (grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 11 2019, @02:05PM (1 child)
Using N4200 embedded board in my latest robotic contraption, running a full FreeBSD on it. With a couple of hardware glitches, as usual in experimental work. But this news makes me very sad, it is like announcing a lethal disease of my pet tank. Well, it was the last drop to the cup. No more buying an Intel CPU for the rest of my lifetime! Not a single one. Be damned, bastards!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 11 2019, @02:19PM
No, no! It's totally AMD [tomshardware.com] you have to watch out for!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 11 2019, @02:31PM (1 child)
I wonder if the FUD that Intel was spreading last week about early failure of AMD Ryzen (without providing any evidence, and with no one corroborating), was PR preparation for the announcement that their own processors are failing early.
Every time you think Intel can't fall any further, they prove you wrong.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 11 2019, @03:55PM
No one ever got fired for buying a CPU that dies in 4 years.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Freeman on Wednesday September 11 2019, @02:42PM (3 children)
I've been voting for AMD, since I bought my first computer. Essentially, Intel has always been the overpriced "fashion brand" / "no one ever got fired for buying x company's products". I priced out decent builds for Intel vs AMD over the years and consistently ended up with Intel being much more expensive.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 11 2019, @03:54PM
Some Intel products have superiority, but almost never in price/performance.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday September 11 2019, @04:13PM (1 child)
Same here, but I would have to qualify it to say: since my first non-Macintosh (PowerPC) computer.
Since I tried a PC for the first time in 1999, I have never had Windows on a machine I owned.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 11 2019, @06:57PM
Nobody now has windows on a machine they "own" - rent/posses/purchase-electricity-and-parts-for sure, but not "own".
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday September 11 2019, @04:17PM (2 children)
Once upon a time, we worried about software vulnerabilities.
Now we worry about hardware vulnerabilities.
Once upon a time, the software was how the empire might spy on you.
Now the hardware is how the empire spy on you.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 11 2019, @07:01PM (1 child)
Once upon a time, we ran closed source software on closed hardware.
Now we run open source software on closed hardware.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday September 11 2019, @08:23PM
The closed hardware of old was more open than today's closed hardware. Especially the further back you go. The IBM PC, and earlier computers uses common IC chips. A decade earlier you're talking low density ICs and discrete transistors and other components.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 11 2019, @08:39PM
nobody has ever used it before.