A fundamental design flaw in Intel's processor chips that is forcing a redesign of the Linux and Windows kernels has already been mitigated by Apple in macOS 10.3.2, according to software engineer Alex Ionescu.Yesterday, The Register reported that a bug is present in Intel processors produced in the past decade that allows normal user programs to discern to some extent the layout or contents of protected kernel memory areas. This has programmers scrambling to overhaul the Linux kernel's virtual memory system. Microsoft has been working on a fix since at least November.
Python Sweetness writes, "There is presently an embargoed security bug impacting apparently all contemporary CPU architectures that implement virtual memory, requiring hardware changes to fully resolve. Urgent development of a software mitigation is being done in the open and recently landed in the Linux kernel, and a similar mitigation began appearing in NT kernels in November. In the worst case the software fix causes huge slowdowns in typical workloads. There are hints the attack impacts common virtualization environments including Amazon EC2 and Google Compute Engine, and additional hints the exact attack may involve a new variant of Rowhammer."
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