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Vulnerabilities in a range of Intel CPUs need to be fixed as soon as possible: Microsoft comes to the aid of the chip manufacturer by providing updates that do so, with Microsoft’s own updates for Windows 10.

Versions 1909 and 1903 of the OS will get updates that fix the vulnerabilities faster and easier than usual, is the idea. The firmware should prevent that certain vulnerabilities in the chips can still be exploited and that certain buffers can be specifically attacked. One of the better known vulnerabilities that could be exploited without the new firmware is Zombieload.

Spectre and Meltdown

In the first half of 2019, researchers identified the new vulnerabilities, which fell in the same category as the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities. Now, Intel is rolling out a firmware patch for a range of CPUs to fix the problem.

Users will have to manually download the update from Microsoft (and thus indirectly Intel) from Microsoft’s Update catalog, since Windows Update will not take it with them by default: it only concerns a specific set of CPUs for which it is intended.

Microsoft also indicates that, in the future, it will use the same page for any new Intel firmware updates that need to be urgently installed by users to counteract vulnerabilities.