Intel Made a Major Mistake and You’re Probably at Risk
January 17, 2018
A major computer manufacturing company has been lacking intel-ligence.
Intel’s major design flaw in their processors has flooded the news recently.
Intel is an extremely popular company for many computers, phones and likewise. The company recently released a statement saying that their processors have a catastrophic flaw. Because of this, the public is worried for their privacy, and the CEO is under scrutiny for his actions ensuing the fallout.
Intel is a multimillion dollar company, currently worth over 110 billion dollars. The company specializes in computer software, especially in processors. On the Intel website, the first sentence of their “Company Overview” tab ironically says, “You may know us for our processors.”
A processor’s basic job is to “receive input and provide the appropriate output,” as defined by techterms.com. It’s the power behind a computer, and they can’t work without one.
All Apple devices run on Intel processors, and a lot of PCs do as well. The runner up is the popular brand “AMD.”
Intel in the past has been an extremely trusted brand; however, that trust recently took a turn for the worst.
In early January, the public became aware of a major design flaw in all Intel processors. Because of these design flaws, two main hardware vulnerabilities took the stage. These are known as “Meltdown” and “Spectre.”
Meltdown allows a hacker to locate the memory of a computer. This locates passwords, personal information and so on. Spectre is a bit trickier, as it fools computer programs into leaking personal information and secrets as well.
To put it in simple terms, if you have an Intel processor in your computer, you’re at risk to get hacked. “This is really scary,” said sophomore Beth Woods, “knowing my personal life could be viewable to strangers isn’t a nice thought.”
There still isn’t a cut and dry answer on how to keep your devices safe from this flaw. However, experts recommend keeping everything on your computer updated. This includes software, browsers and so on. It’s also important to keep your anti-virus software up-to-date. “I always try to keep my software updated on my phone, so I’m glad to know it’s paying off,” said sophomore Shelby Knieriem.
Out of these, the most important tip is to update your computer software. Many companies like Apple and Windows have rolled out updates specifically made to patch these issues, so it’s important to take advantage of this.
After the public learned of this bug, the CEO of Intel took a drastic measure. Brian Krzanich, CEO of the company since 2013, sold millions of dollars worth of stock. This allowed Krzanich to receive more than $39 million in personal profit.
This event, since it was so sudden and after such a drastic public announcement, is under scrutiny from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The CEO also released a statement saying that “customer-first urgency” is one of Intel’s top priorities in the fixing of Spectre and Meltdown. “Security is job number one for Intel and our industry,” said Krzanich.
