[ale] News: Red Hat slams into reverse on CPU fix for Spectre design blunder

[Derek Atkins]

It looks like RHEL/CentOS just released yet another microcode/firmware
update for 7.4 yesterday.  The previous one from from about a week or so
ago (Jan 4th).

-derek

On Thu, January 18, 2018 11:21 am, Lightner, Jeffrey via Ale wrote:
> RHEL was issuing both a kernel patch and a microcode update for CPUs.   It
> may be other distros weren't doing the microcode update.  In RHEL's
> reversal they say they did the microcode as a convenience but view it as
> the chip maker's responsibility.   The reversal was to get rid of the RHEL
> microcode update and take out optimizations to the kernel that relied upon
> it.
>
> Maybe SUSE and others weren't also providing a microcode update.
>
> Note that without a CPU firmware/microcode update you're not protected
> against Spectre but may be protected against Meltdown.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ale [mailto:ale-bounces at ale.org] On Behalf Of Beddingfield, Allen
> via Ale
> Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2018 11:18 AM
> To: Jim Kinney; Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts
> Subject: Re: [ale] News: Red Hat slams into reverse on CPU fix for Spectre
> design blunder
>
> I'm going to throw the question out to some SUSE folks and see what answer
> I get.  They would be the other one with the resources for independent
> testing . . .
>
> On 1/18/18 10:16 AM, Jim Kinney wrote:
>> Please check with other distros! RedHat is probably taking a lead in
>> building a patch as they have resources. I've seen other distros issue
>> kernel patches after rhel that are rpm based.
>>
>> On January 18, 2018 11:12:50 AM EST, "Beddingfield, Allen via Ale"
>> <ale at ale.org> wrote:
>>
>>     So, my question at this point:
>>     We haven't heard anything similar out of SUSE, and I haven't heard
>> of
>>     anything in the Debian/Ubuntu world?  Are we to assume we are "good"
>> if
>>     we have SUSE and Debian/Ubuntu systems patched up, and that it is
>> just
>>     the RHEL world that can't get their act together?  It seems to me
>> that
>>     we are likely to hear a "me too" out of the other vendors following
>> Red
>>     Hat's announcement.  Thoughts?  I'm going to pose the same question
>> to a
>>     SUSE heavy audience, see what I get, and report back . . .
>>
>>     Allen B.
>>
>>     On 1/18/18 7:23 AM, DJ-Pfulio via Ale wrote:
>>
>>         Red Hat slams into reverse on CPU fix for Spectre design
>> blunder
>>
>>
>> https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/01/18/red_hat_spectre_firmware_upda
>> te_woes/
>>
>>         Be careful out there.
>>
>>         Anyone seen system instabilities from the different layers of
>>         patches?
>>
>>         I've delayed patching the last few weeks to let others find most
>>         of the
>>         issues first. ;)
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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>>
>> --
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>> related and reflect authenticity.
>
> --
> Allen Beddingfield
> Systems Engineer
> Office of Information Technology
> The University of Alabama
> Office 205-348-2251
> allen at ua.edu
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-- 
       Derek Atkins                 617-623-3745
       derek at ihtfp.com             www.ihtfp.com
       Computer and Internet Security Consultant