If you're an ordinary user worried about #meltdown and #spectre exploits: the usual guidelines apply. Update your software and use an ad-blocker. The lessons here important. Performance and security are inevitably in tension, and in my view, it is past time we chose security.
-
-
zeynep tufekci Retweeted Ben Adida
Also, Yahoo didn't choose security, and hundreds of millions got hacked, and Yahoo acquisition price tanked. Hopefully, we are past needing more wake-up calls. (*laughs*.. *cries*)https://twitter.com/benadida/status/948991695374270469 …
zeynep tufekci added,
2 replies 14 retweets 52 likesShow this thread -
It may or may not have practical impacts, but the way some anti-virus software is blocking or slowing these critical security updates should also be a wake-up call. Security has to come from architecturally as deeply as possible; add-ons can actually make things worse.
2 replies 7 retweets 44 likesShow this thread -
#meltdown and#spectre probably ruined a lot of vacations, as vendors and sysadmins rushed to patch after forced early disclosure. Not the first time. These people are holding dikes from bursting. Ask your sysadmin or vendor if they patched over the "break": they deserve thanks!3 replies 13 retweets 51 likesShow this thread -
Also, who named these exploits? The names are


and so correctly evocative of the issues raised by the two different but related structural issues. Spectre haunting all modern chips... The Intel meltdown... Sometimes geek poetry is real poetry. :-D4 replies 26 retweets 134 likesShow this thread -
This is a fairly accessible explanation of
#meltdown by@pwnallthethings. (Yes, it has a tiny bit of code but you can follow along if this stuff interests you).#Spectre is more subtle; will post if I find an accessible explainer. https://medium.com/@pwnallthethings/time-travelling-exploits-with-meltdown-1189548f1e1d …pic.twitter.com/9cRWfPnSVB
5 replies 41 retweets 81 likesShow this thread -
zeynep tufekci Retweeted April King 🌀
Update, folks. Update your software. Best defense. Lots of people are working hard to rollout
#spectre#meltdown mitigations. (Many updates were out much earlier! But no protection till you update!)https://twitter.com/aprilmpls/status/949053354642235392 …zeynep tufekci added,
7 replies 192 retweets 282 likesShow this thread -
Just tried to describe
#Spectre to a completely non-technical person, finally ended up saying it’s like, umm, platform 9¾ on King’s Cross. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯pic.twitter.com/czMiMpa23W
10 replies 8 retweets 43 likesShow this thread
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.