Newsletter Archives

• More Intel microcode updates released through the Update Catalog

  Posted on February 5, 2019 at 14:37 CST by admin • Comment in the Forums

  I count 14 separate updates in the Microsoft Update Catalog, all of which are dated “2019-01” but released on Feb. 4. The main ones:

  Win10 1809 – KB 4465065

  Win10 1803 – KB 4346084

  Win10 1709 – KB 4346085

  and several lesser releases of the same ilk.

  Of course, you shouldn’t install them, unless your company’s mentat predicts a Spectre 3a, 4, or L1TF attack that no one else has seen.

  Windows Patches/Security KB 4346084, KB 4346085, KB 4465065, Microcode

• Hangover Tuesday: Every version of Windows 10 gets yet another Intel microcode patch

  Posted on August 21, 2018 at 14:28 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  There are 13 new August patches in the Microsoft Update Catalog, all dated August 20, all released in the past hour or two.

  They’re Intel microcode updates, e.g., KB 4346084 is for Win10 version 1803.

  Intel recently announced that they have completed their validations and started to release microcode for recent CPU platforms related to Spectre Variant 3a (CVE-2018-3640: “Rogue System Register Read (RSRE)”), Spectre Variant 4 (CVE-2018-3639: “Speculative Store Bypass (SSB)”), L1TF (CVE-2018-3615, CVE-2018-3620, CVE-2018-3646: “L1 Terminal Fault”). In addition to microcode updates previously released in KB4100347​ to address Spectre Variant 2 (CVE 2017-5715: “Branch Target Injection”), this update also includes microcode updates from Intel for the following CPUs.

  Susan Bradley notes that the KB articles were changed recently to say that they’re only available for direct download on the Microsoft Update Catalog. You shouldn’t be getting them through Windows Update. Fingers crossed.

  Of course, we’re at MS-DEFCON 2, so I’d suggest you give them a pass. Nope, there still aren’t any Meltdown or Spectre (Variant n, n=1 to 4) exploits in the wild that you need to be concerned about.

  UPDATE: Crysta notes that there are two more microcode updates, both dated Aug 21, but they appear to be re-issues for last month’s microcode updates. KB 4090007 for Win10 1709 and KB 4100347 for 1803.  jescott418 notes that KB 4100347 is arriving via Windows Update on his Win10 Home 1803 computer.

  ANOTHER UPDATE: I’m not sure WHAT those two re-issued updates cover.

  Windows Patches/Security KB 4346084