The flaw in your computer

Am I affected?

Probably. All 64-bit Intel processors are vulnerable to the exploit, so anyone who bought a desktop or laptop computer using an Intel central processing unit (CPU) in about the last 10 years, or who uses one at work, will be affected.

What should I do?

Nothing. Software vendors will issue patches in the coming days and weeks and so long as automatic updates are turned on, these should self-install. Rob Pope, chief executive of cyber-security agency Cert NZ, says it is monitoring the situation.

What is the flaw?

For speed’s sake, modern computer processors will try to jump ahead to process software routines while they await the outcome of another operation. Google’s researchers discovered that the results of those ‘‘speculative processes’’ can be stored in memory in a way that allows data to be accessed by software that should not have the right to access that information.

Is that a big deal?

Yes. Intel vice-president Stephen Smith noted that exploiting the flaw would be complex. But the vulnerability is so fundamental that it can’t be ignored. It could expose almost anything on a computer to hackers, including passwords. The flaw appears especially concerning for cloud computing platforms, where servers might be running a variety of software, processing information for a large number of businesses and individuals.

Should I buy a new PC?

There may be some sense in holding off until more information becomes available on the extent of the flaw and what products other than Intel chips could definitely be affected.

Will I be compensated?

Hard question. The way chip-makers express CPU speed is often in terms of ‘‘gigahertz’’, the number of cores they have and so on, none of which will actually change as a result of software patches. But if someone finds their computer is no longer fit for purpose, and they can attribute that to the software fix, who knows? What may be worth watching is whether the likes of Amazon Web Services and Microsoft reckon they are due compensation for the extra servers they will no doubt be forced to buy to keep cloud computing centres up to speed. –Stuff