Microsoft pushing out emergency fix for newly disclosed processor exploit

Updated 7PM ET: Microsoft is now pushing out KB4056892 (OS Build 16299.192) as the official fix.

Post-obit up on the disclosure of exploits that affect Intel, AMD, and ARM processors, Microsoft is rolling out an emergency update for Windows users. In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft also confirmed that information technology is deploying fixes to its deject services.

From Microsoft:

We're aware of this industry-broad issue and take been working closely with scrap manufacturers to develop and examination mitigations to protect our customers. Nosotros are in the procedure of deploying mitigations to cloud services and have besides released security updates to protect Windows customers against vulnerabilities affecting supported hardware chips from Intel, ARM, and AMD. We accept not received whatever information to indicate that these vulnerabilities had been used to attack our customers.

According to The Verge, Windows x users will exist automatically updated with the patch today through Windows Update. And while the patch will be bachelor from Microsoft for Windows vii and 8 users today, they volition have to await until Patch Tuesday to receive it automatically via Windows Update.

The changelog for KB4056892 includes:

Addresses consequence where event logs stop receiving events when a maximum file size policy is applied to the channel.
Addresses consequence where printing an Office Online document in Microsoft Edge fails.
Addresses issue where the touch keyboard doesn't support the standard layout for 109 keyboards.
Addresses video playback issues in applications such every bit Microsoft Border that affect some devices when playing dorsum video on a monitor and a secondary, duplicated display.
Addresses issue where Microsoft Edge stops responding for upwards to 3 seconds while displaying content from a software rendering path.
Addresses issue where merely 4 TB of memory is shown every bit bachelor in Chore Managing director in Windows Server version 1709 when more than memory is actually installed, configured, and available.
Security updates to Windows SMB Server, the Windows Subsystem for Linux, Windows Kernel, Windows Datacenter Networking, Windows Graphics, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and the Microsoft Scripting Engine.

The update follows a whirlwind of developments, starting with initial reports that Intel processors were impacted by a new security vulnerability. Researchers after disclosed virtually all modern processors are affected by two new exploits, dubbed Meltdown and Spectre, that tin can deed every bit vectors for attackers to access things like passwords, photos, emails, and other sensitive data.

Meltdown is the easier to exploit of the two, co-ordinate to researchers, and only appears to impact Intel processors. Patches for Meltdown are also already available, including those for Linux, macOS, and today'due south Windows update. Spectre, on the other hand, impacts a much wider array of processors, including those from Intel, AMD, and ARM. While it's more than hard to exploit, it is also much harder to gear up.

Microsoft is as well noting what could exist a fairly severe "known issue" with this release, which is likely due to the rushed nature of the situation.

Update installation may terminate at 99% and may testify elevated CPU or deejay utilization if a device was reset using the Reset this PC functionality afterwards installing KB4054022.

Microsoft provides instructions on how to fix this situation if information technology should occur.

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