This site may earn affiliate commissions from the links on this page. Terms of use.

Silicon wafer

As Intel has rolled out fixes for Spectre and Meltdown, it's worked closely with Microsoft to make the required microcode updates available to as wide a group of hardware as possible. Newer motherboards might receive an update, just older systems, including the Ivy Bridge rig of this author, aren't exactly getting UEFI updates these days. Luckily, those of you running Windows can get the required updates via Windows Update.

Intel recently appear that it had completed microcode updates for CPUs stretching back into the Sandy Bridge era, and Microsoft has made those updates available via an expanded version of the aforementioned KB4090007 it's been using for this purpose to-date. Nosotros've checked the Microsoft Update Catalog to confirm — the version of the patch we linked in our earlier story was dated 2/28, while this new flavour is dated iii/13. Microsoft's notification, however, simply mentions more recent chips like Skylake, Kaby Lake, and Coffee Lake. This implies there may be a longer lag time between when Intel finishes its updates and when they're incorporated into the KB patch.

At the to the lowest degree, installing KB4090007 should patch up sixth-generation and later Intel CPUs, with the Sandy, Ivy, and Haswell KB update arriving later. Intel is even so working on microcode updates for Nehalem and certain chips in the Core 2 Duo family. To the best of ET'south knowledge, there'southward no program to extend whatsoever patches to systems earlier than Core ii Duo.

Microcode-Update

The other major news is that Microsoft has resumed offer security updates to customers who utilize certain AV products. Yes, we know that's vague. The explanation behind this is that MS had paused its security updates for certain customers after identifying compatibility issues between said applications and Windows 10. The company'south initial disclosure read:

The compatibility upshot arises when antivirus applications make unsupported calls into Windows kernel memory. These calls may cause cease errors (as well known as blue screen errors) that brand the device unable to boot. To aid prevent these stop errors, Microsoft is currently only offering the January and February 2018 Windows security updates to devices that are running antivirus software that is from antivirus software vendors who accept confirmed that their antivirus software is compatible by setting a required registry key.

MS has apparently reached out to the companies in question and has resolved the issue. Updates for these systems will now be pushed out commonly. Those of you yet on the Windows ten Ceremony Update should be advised that security updates for your version of Windows end on April 10. Information technology'southward all part of Microsoft's new Windows-as-a-service model, in which specific versions of Windows are supported for much smaller amounts of time.