Spectre and Meltdown the big chip flaws
Processors are vital to running all our computerized devices, even if we hardly ever think about them. That's why it's a big deal that they have major vulnerabilities, such as Spectre and Meltdown, that leave them open to hacking attacks. As they run all the essential processes on your computer, these silicon chips handle extremely sensitive data. That includes passwords and encryption keys, the fundamental tools for keeping your computer secure. The Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities, revealed Wednesday, could let attackers capture information they shouldn't be able to access, like those passwords and keys. As a result, an attack on a computer chip can turn into a serious security concern. What are the vulnerabilities? Researchers found two major weaknesses in processors that could let attackers read sensitive information that should never leave the CPU, or central processing unit. In both cases, attackers could see data that the processor temp