New Exploit Breaks Current Spectre Defenses; Fixes Hard without Performance Impact
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Researchers from the University of Virginia School of Engineering recently disclosed a new Spectre hardware exploit that can steal secrets via Intel/AMD micro-op caches and circumvents current Spectre defenses. Intel and AMD say no new guidance is needed. Researchers say suggested fixes are inconvenient to deploy or have performance drawbacks.
Ashish Venkat, William Wulf career enhancement assistant professor of computer science at UVA Engineering, explained the exploit in layman terms:
Think about a hypothetical airport security scenario where TSA lets you in without checking your boarding pass because (1) it is fast and efficient, and (2) you will be checked for your boarding pass at the gate anyway.