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Windows 10 gets silent security patch to deal with SWAPGS vulnerability

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Published onAugust 7, 2019

published onAugust 7, 2019

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Windows PCs withIntelandAMDchips might be vulnerable again, asSpectrereturns after almost a year.

New SWAPGS vulnerability bypasses previous mitigations

This time, the designated CVE-2019-1125 issue similar to Spectre and Meltdown is more powerful and bypasses previous security barriers.The SWAPGSvulnerabilitymainly affectsIntelCPUs produced after 2012.

Thevulnerabilityreads sensitive kernel memory and amalware attackcould use it to get passwords and encryption keys out of RAM.

As such,Microsoftreleased a silentpatchto address the problem. The update to the Linux kernel was part of last month’sPatch Tuesday, but it wasn’t revealed until recently, at theBlackHat security conference.

Updating the kernel seems to solve the problem

Here’s what RedHathad to sayaboutCVE-2019-1125:

Red Hat has been made aware of an additional spectre-V1 like attack vector, requiring updates to the Linux kernel. This additional attack vector builds on existing software fixes shipped in previous kernel updates. Thisvulnerabilityonly applies to x86-64 systems using eitherIntelorAMDprocessors.

This issue has been assignedCVE-2019-1125and is ratedModerate.

An unprivileged local attacker can use these flaws to bypass conventional memory security restrictions to gain read access to privileged memory that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Because thekernelpatchbuilds on existing spectre mitigations from previous updates, the only solution is updating the kernel and rebooting the system.

NeitherAMDnorIntelare extremely concerned with the issue, and don’t have plans to release microcode updates because thevulnerabilitycan be addressed in software.

Bitdefender, who originally found Spectre, createda pagethat will give you more info on how to protect your system against critical SWAPGS attacks.

More about the topics:amd,Cybersecurity,intel,windows 10

Vlad Turiceanu

Windows Editor

Passionate about technology,Windows, and everything that has a power button, he spent most of his time developing new skills and learning more about the tech world.

Coming from a solid background in PC building and software development, with a complete expertise in touch-based devices, he is constantly keeping an eye out for the latest and greatest!

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Vlad Turiceanu

Windows Editor

Coming from a solid background in PC building and software development, he’s a Windows 11 Privacy & Security expert.

With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low#

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app#

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities#

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount#

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier#

Windows 10 gets silent security patch to deal with SWAPGS vulnerability#

New SWAPGS vulnerability bypasses previous mitigations#

Updating the kernel seems to solve the problem#