todays microcode update

[wpshooter]

Should I have any concerns with installing the revised Intel microcode
which is available on today (Jan. 22, 2018) updates along with a revised
kernel version ?

Thanks.

[xenopeek]

It's fine to install. The microcode update reverts the changes from the previous update because that was found could cause instability on some systems. See the USN here https://usn.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-3531-2/.

[wpshooter]

Hmmmm, now looks like Meltdown cured, Spectre 1 cured, but Spectre 2 NOT cured.

[Pepi]

Spectre1 cured on my computers also

[wpshooter]

All these bandages are good, but still think real cure for all this
is going to be sending more cash down the road when tech.
companies do fundamental redesign of processors.

But then can anything ever be designed that is completely secure, I doubt it !!!

Still say that anything which is of a confidential nature should never pass in nor out
of one of these many electronic devices.

Go tell the receiving party in person and would still need to use the old "DOME OF SILENCE"
as used by the late Don Adams, agent 86 !!! Agent 99 was a fox.

[Sir Charles]

Should I have any concerns with installing the revised Intel microcode
which is available on today (Jan. 22, 2018) updates along with a revised
kernel version ?

Thanks.

By the look of things, we should have many concerns regarding many updates suggested by Update Manager now. Kernel updates seem to be a fact of life. I do one every day, having my morning coffee. By the evening, I roll back. The day after, I start all over again

[JohnF76]

Spectre 1 isn't cured for everyone. I'm on a Lenovo X200 Thinkpad; this is what I have after updating the microcode today :

Checking for vulnerabilities against running kernel Linux 4.4.0-109-generic #132~14.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Tue Jan 9 21:46:42 UTC 2018 x86_64
CPU is Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU L9600 @ 2.13GHz

CVE-2017-5753 [bounds check bypass] aka 'Spectre Variant 1'
* Checking count of LFENCE opcodes in kernel: NO
> STATUS: VULNERABLE (only 32 opcodes found, should be >= 70, heuristic to be improved when official patches become available)

CVE-2017-5715 [branch target injection] aka 'Spectre Variant 2'
* Mitigation 1
* Hardware (CPU microcode) support for mitigation
* The SPEC_CTRL MSR is available: NO
* The SPEC_CTRL CPUID feature bit is set: NO
* Kernel support for IBRS: NO
* IBRS enabled for Kernel space: NO
* IBRS enabled for User space: NO
* Mitigation 2
* Kernel compiled with retpoline option: NO
* Kernel compiled with a retpoline-aware compiler: NO
> STATUS: VULNERABLE (IBRS hardware + kernel support OR kernel with retpoline are needed to mitigate the vulnerability)

CVE-2017-5754 [rogue data cache load] aka 'Meltdown' aka 'Variant 3'
* Kernel supports Page Table Isolation (PTI): YES
* PTI enabled and active: YES
* Checking if we're running under Xen PV (64 bits): NO
> STATUS: NOT VULNERABLE (PTI mitigates the vulnerability)

[Pepi]

I think you running the old kernel is why. linux: 4.4.0-112.135

[JohnF76]

I'm still running 17.3 XFCE on my laptop. The Kernel I have is the latest recommended (4.4.0-109). As of last night, I did not see 4.4.0-112.135 as an option.

[michael louwe]

@ JohnF76, .......

I'm still running 17.3 XFCE on my laptop. The Kernel I have is the latest recommended (4.4.0-109). As of last night, I did not see 4.4.0-112.135 as an option.

.
Try checking >Update Manager >Refresh >View >Linux kernels .

P S - Ubuntu have yet to release the relevant kernel updates for 32bit systems.

[ClixTrix]

I don't think there is an update for Trusty, yet. I don't see it in my Kernel list either for my Mint 17.3 machine. I looked here just before posting and see Xenial, but no Trusty update.

https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/pm/linux- ... 12-generic