How concerned should I be over Spectre and Meltdown?

[Disgustipated]

http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/04/technology/spectre-meltdown-cpu-flaws-explainer/index.html

They don't list the chips affected, how do I know if I'm affected? My current computer is 9 years old, would that be affected? I no longer have a smarthone, but I do have a Samsung Tablet.

I'm not really looking forward to slower speeds. So far I've done nothing. This security flaw seems really nasty. Especially since there's no good fix for either.

 

[Zelig]

They don't list the chips affected, how do I know if I'm affected?

https://meltdownattack.com/#faq-affected

Q: "Am I affected by the bug?"
A: "Most certainly, yes."

My current computer is 9 years old, would that be affected?

Yes.

I no longer have a smarthone, but I do have a Samsung Tablet.

Not really a problem as long as the tablet is still getting updated with the monthly security patches Google puts out.

I'm not really looking forward to slower speeds.

If you have to ask, you're almost certainly not going to notice any performance difference.

How concerned should I be over Spectre and Meltdown?

If you're not a cloud service provider, and keep automatic updates enabled, not at all.

 

[JaymesKeller]

You shouldn't. Just keep your software updated, be aware of what you download and protect yourself against rouge JS stuff, and you should be fine. As a side note, dealing with people in IT sometimes is worse than herding cats.

 

[Disgustipated]

My main concern is the Foxnews article said you need a software fix and a firmware update. I don't actually have a PC manufacturer that I can contact since my PC is built by me. Maybe Intel website would have something.

 

[Zelig]

I would not suggest consuming Fox News for technology news. Or really, for any reason.

Here's a legitimate news site and relevant article: https://www.anandtech.com/show/12214/understanding-meltdown-and-spectre

See the bit under "What Can Users Do Right Now?" if you don't care to read the entire thing..

 

[Disgustipated]

Okay, I feel dumb. I just realized I've been using AMD processor, not Intel. I've been running with the same computer for so long, I had forgotten.

I'm concerned about Windows 10 most recent patch though, it's causing some weird issues like my mouse clicks aren't registering. I just got a patch this morning. Sometimes takes two clicks to get where I need, may be a browser problem though with Chrome. I'm having memory problems with Chrome anyways (not as bad as my Firefox problems though), I have a feeling Microsoft is subtlely forcing me to use Edge.

 

[leif erikson]

Try Vivaldi?

 

[Zelig]

That sounds like a hardware issues with your mouse.