How To Protect Your PC And Mac Against Spectre And Meltdown
Let’s Understand What Is Spectre and Meltdown Vulnerabilities
Meltdown and Spectre is the name given to Security issue which exposes vulnerabilities in modern processors like Intel, AMD, and ARM. Almost all system is affected by Meltdown and Spectre which includes Desktops, Laptops, Cloud Servers, and even Smartphones.
These vulnerabilities may allow hackers or cybercriminals to steal sensitive information like username, secret password, banking details etc. from almost any computer, smartphones or even from the cloud. Sounds scary right!
To Understand Briefly Why Spectre and Meltdown is so Dangerous, visit the link
Do not Panic! Let’s follow the below suggestions to minimize the risk.
How To Protect Your System From Spectre And Meltdown Vulnerabilities
1. Update Your Operating System
Both Windows and Mac Users should keep the automatic updates On. Do not forget to check the OS update manually as some time automatic updates fails. Microsoft Meltdown patch was released.
Update Windows 10
In case, you face any issue updating Windows 10 then visit the below link and Update Windows 10 Manually with the help of Windows 10 Update assistant.
Click on Update now
In case Windows 10 Update Assistant does not work, update Windows 10 from Microsoft Media Creation Tool
Visit this link and Click on Download tool now.
Then run media creation exe file and on Windows 10 setup click on Accept for Microsoft license terms.
Now on the next screen select Upgrade this PC now and click on Next.
Also Read: How to Fix Windows 10 Update Issue
2. Update System Firmware
Visit your system manufacturer website and download the latest BIOS firmware.
3. Keep Your Browser Up-to-date
Apple pushed out updates to iOS 11 and macOS with “security improvements to Safari and WebKit to minimize the effects of Spectre.” Microsoft updated Edge and Internet Explorer.
4. Update Your Graphic Cards Driver
Nvidia released new drivers containing Spectre mitigations for GeForce, Quadro, and NVS. Update AMD graphic card from the manufacturer’s website.
NVIDIA Users: GeForce Experience can be used to check and update the drivers automatically, visit the below link to auto update or update it manually.
AMD Users: Visit the below link to autodetect or manually select your driver.
5. Antivirus Should Remain Enabled All The Time
Get the latest update for an Antivirus program and keep it on all the time, be aware of phishing email as they can trick you. Run system scan from time to time.
Impact of Spectre and Meltdown
Impact Of These Security Updates
Systems that receive these security updates via OS or hardware updates may experience a performance impact, though it is currently difficult to say to what degree. However, system performance may degrade 30% across the board.
Impact on Hardware
A complete fix for Meltdown and Spectre is going to require a CPU replacement. As CERT says, the solution is to “Replace CPU Hardware”.
To know the Impact of Spectre and Meltdown in detail please visit this link
Conclusion
I hope this post provided you with adequate information about Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities and the different ways to minimize the security issues with your system.
