Intel bug incoming? Meltdown and Spectre exploits

V F · 6 Jan 2018 at 14:21

Or that assessment tool hasn't been updated?

Feels like that certifigate app.

gavinh87 · 6 Jan 2018 at 14:23

QlimaxUK said:
WHAT??? How did you patch it?

I'm paranoid now!

I havn't had a single windows update since 2017 and nothing pending?

I think this is for the management engine. Your system may have not needed an update.

Cromulent · 6 Jan 2018 at 14:24

QlimaxUK said:
So what are we meant to do about this, I have run the detection tool and got this...

So all good right?

Right?

That is for a different bug (the AMT bug). This thread is for two different bugs.

V F · 6 Jan 2018 at 14:27

Cromulent said:
That is for a different bug (the AMT bug). This thread is for two different bugs.

They'll now be sighing.

Howling · 6 Jan 2018 at 14:42

drunkenmaster said:
Well, updated windows last night and now where as yesterday I was playing Shadow of Mordor fine on one monitor and watching a video and having other things open on the second monitor, today everything on the second monitor is crawling with insane response times listed in resource monitor and video freezing while the audio keeps playing.

With this being a systems call issue then, is task switching getting hit hard? Is benchmarks of a single application and priority going to show no performance hit but trying to do more than one thing at once potentially hit much much harder? This is on a 5820k setup.

I mean something else may have screwed up in the update as I think it did more than just the security update. I'm going to mess with reinstalling graphics drivers and some other crap but my system went from smooth as hell doing multiple things alongside gaming to absolutely unable to do this at all.

That doesn't bode well for me, I'm also on the 5820k on my main rig - but I'll be away from that until start of Feb so I won't be able to patch it or test for any performance hits, hopefully they'll have fixed any problems arising from the patch by then (if indeed it is the case)

jigger · 6 Jan 2018 at 14:55

drunkenmaster said:
Well, updated windows last night and now where as yesterday I was playing Shadow of Mordor fine on one monitor and watching a video and having other things open on the second monitor, today everything on the second monitor is crawling with insane response times listed in resource monitor and video freezing while the audio keeps playing.

With this being a systems call issue then, is task switching getting hit hard? Is benchmarks of a single application and priority going to show no performance hit but trying to do more than one thing at once potentially hit much much harder? This is on a 5820k setup.

I mean something else may have screwed up in the update as I think it did more than just the security update. I'm going to mess with reinstalling graphics drivers and some other crap but my system went from smooth as hell doing multiple things alongside gaming to absolutely unable to do this at all.

I'd say the update has broke the performance of middleware. I expect lots of middleware problems becuase of the need to secure systems ASAP.

Dutch777 · 6 Jan 2018 at 15:23

Just updated windows and something seems amiss before the update burning a 3hr video took around 4 hrs I'm currently burning a video same settings and it's going to take 10 hrs cpu is at 100% so it's full speed

Will roll back the windows update tmrw and see if it's something else but if this is down to the windows update I will have no choice but to go AMD for my main rig.

gavinh87 · 6 Jan 2018 at 15:51

Dutch777 said:
Just updated windows and something seems amiss before the update burning a 3hr video took around 4 hrs I'm currently burning a video same settings and it's going to take 10 hrs cpu is at 100% so it's full speed

Will roll back the windows update tmrw and see if it's something else but if this is down to the windows update I will have no choice but to go AMD for my main rig.

It shouldn't have affected anything yet as these windows patches need EUFI updates to allow them to work.

humbug · 6 Jan 2018 at 15:52

Ok what is going on here... i have done nothing to this system and yet Intel's own tool say "no problem here"

Would this tool ever actually say "yes there is a security risk here"

gavinh87 · 6 Jan 2018 at 15:53

drunkenmaster said:
Well, updated windows last night and now where as yesterday I was playing Shadow of Mordor fine on one monitor and watching a video and having other things open on the second monitor, today everything on the second monitor is crawling with insane response times listed in resource monitor and video freezing while the audio keeps playing.

With this being a systems call issue then, is task switching getting hit hard? Is benchmarks of a single application and priority going to show no performance hit but trying to do more than one thing at once potentially hit much much harder? This is on a 5820k setup.

I mean something else may have screwed up in the update as I think it did more than just the security update. I'm going to mess with reinstalling graphics drivers and some other crap but my system went from smooth as hell doing multiple things alongside gaming to absolutely unable to do this at all.

I have installed the windows patches on my 8700k rig and have noticed no difference with gaming whilst running spotify discord chat etc. I dont have a second monitor though. O ran about 5 benchmarks and all are similar. I was under the impression that bios updates are required for these windows patches to work.

gavinh87 · 6 Jan 2018 at 15:54

humbug said:
Ok what is going on here... i have done nothing to this system and yet Intel's own tool say "no problem here"

Would this tool ever actually say "yes there is a security risk here"

The date for that tool is december 2017 so i think its something else.

humbug · 6 Jan 2018 at 15:57

gavinh87 said:
The date for that tool is december 2017 so i think its something else.

ah ok. thx.

Cromulent · 6 Jan 2018 at 15:59

humbug said:
Ok what is going on here... i have done nothing to this system and yet Intel's own tool say "no problem here"

Would this tool ever actually say "yes there is a security risk here"

That is a different bug that happened last year. It has nothing to do with the two bugs being discussed in this thread.

Edit: Sorry, someone else already said that.

drunkenmaster · 6 Jan 2018 at 16:02

You have to use the powershell checking method ms has specified to check

https://betanews.com/2018/01/05/microsoft-powershell-meltdown-spectre-script/

Press the Windows key and type PowerShell.

Right click the PowerShell shortcut and select Run as Administrator.

Type Install-Module SpeculationControl and press Enter.

If you are prompted to install the NuGet provider, type Y and press Enter, and repeat if you are warned about installing from an untrusted repository.

With the installation complete, type Import-Module SpeculationControl and press Enter.

Type Get-SpeculationControlSettings and press Enter.

There is also another step for many people, me included, if when trying stage 5 it says you can't import it because you're not allowed to then put in

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

then I believe this will be reset when the powershell is closed but for safety once you've run it type in

Set-ExecutionPolicy Default

This let it run fine and shows that the windows patch is enabled but I still need firmware/bios updates to add the rest of the protection, though as a 5820k user I'm not sure I'll receive them.

I ran the GUI tool from Intel first and it said no vulnerabilities but it seems some blog/site linked it thinking it was the right tool but it's actually for something completely different. I can confirm that even though that tool showed as no vulnerabilities the powershell method correctly showed the vulnerabilities and what was safe.

Boomstick777 · 6 Jan 2018 at 16:05

So glad I went with AMD this time around. Not just because of this Intel mostly bug, (As mainly effects big business and server use) but to support another company. Intel just ugh at this point.

I'll stick with AMD for next round as well. We need the competition.

QlimaxUK · 6 Jan 2018 at 16:09

call me paranoid, but is it actually a good idea to post those intel tool reports which list your system specs, I edited mine when I posted so that my motherboard model was not shown just in case the hackers may be able to use that to identify the kernel or something...

I'm also worried about those places that I may have listed my spec's would it be a good idea to remove them?

I have also contacted Gigabyte support asking if they have a patch.. not to say that I necessary have a gigabyte motherboard...

AmateurExpert · 6 Jan 2018 at 16:10

gavinh87 said:
yet as these windows patches need EUFI updates to allow them to work.

Not true. Only the Spectre patch relies on microcode support - the Meltdown patch will be active on Intel systems independent of any microcode changes.

darael · 6 Jan 2018 at 16:11

Apparently my system is vulnerable, according to Intel's tool. I promptly checked for any BIOS updates for my Asus ROG STRIX H270F Gaming motherboard and found 1002 with the following description:

Version 1002 2018/01/04

STRIX H270F GAMING BIOS 1002
1. Update CPU Microcode

2. Improve system compatibility and stability

I shall report back what the Intel tool comes back with after updating.

darael · 6 Jan 2018 at 16:14

humbug said:
Ok what is going on here... i have done nothing to this system and yet Intel's own tool say "no problem here"

Would this tool ever actually say "yes there is a security risk here"

Well it did for me.

Cromulent · 6 Jan 2018 at 16:25

darael said:
Well it did for me.

Yet again. That tool is talking about a completely different bug from last year. This thread is about two completely different bugs. If the UEFI / BIOS patch for your motherboard wasn't released in the last 3 to 4 days then it won't patch the bugs talked about in this thread.