WASHINGTON: A newly discovered vulnerability in computer chips raised concerns that hackers could access sensitive data on most modern systems, as technology firms sought to play down the security risks. Chip giant Intel issued a statement responding to a flurry of warnings surfacing after researchers discovered the security hole which could allow privately stored data in computers and networks to be leaked. Google, meanwhile, released findings from its security researchers who sparked the concerns, saying it made the results public days ahead of schedule because much of the information had been in the media. Earlier this week, some researchers said any fix, which would need to be handled by software, could slow down computer systems, possibly by 30 percent or more. Tatu Ylonen, security researcher at SSH Communications Security, said the patches “will be effective” but it will be critical to get all networks and cloud services upgraded, Ylonen said.

Source: Pakistan Today January 04, 2018 06:22 UTC