What You Can Do Now to Protect Against the Chip Flaws
January 05 2018 - 12:01AM
Dow Jones News
By Jay Greene
While tech giants grapple with the chip security flaws disclosed
this week, there are steps people can take now to mitigate
potential harm to their iPhones, Windows PCs, Android devices and
other gadgets.
The most important is ensuring software on any device is up to
date. Apple Inc. acknowledged late Thursday that its mobile devices
and computers -- even the Apple TV -- are affected by one of the
vulnerabilities, called Meltdown, but said it already issued
updates to fix the problems.
For iPhones and iPads, iOS version 11.2 released last month
includes the latest fix. You can update via the Settings app. For
Macs, Apple pushed out version 10.13.2 to its High Sierra operating
system last month. Users can find the update by clicking "About
this Mac" under the Apple icon.
Android devices are trickier. That's because the open-source
nature of Google's operating system, which allows phone makers to
use the software free, gives the Alphabet Inc. unit less control
over pushing out updates.
Google said it already protected its own line of Nexus and Pixel
phones, but isn't sure how many phones from other manufacturers are
receiving the updates. Customers should check with device
manufacturers and wireless carriers to see if their devices are
patched. Chromebooks and its Chrome browser, the company said, will
receive patches by Friday, but users must turn on the "site
isolation" feature. Instructions are available here:
https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/7623121.
Microsoft Corp. is issuing several patches for various versions
of its Windows operating system. Window 10 devices should
automatically download and install the update, and users can check
their update history under settings. The company released patches
for Windows 7 and Windows 8, and those will automatically update
next week.
The Spectre vulnerability can be exploited on personal devices
through browsers, and browser makers are scrambling to update those
applications.
Mozilla began updating its Firefox browser already. Customers
waiting for updates to any browser, such as Google Chrome or
Microsoft Edge, could install an ad-blocking service such as uBlock
Origin, said Jeremiah Grossman, chief of security strategy with
SentinelOne, an anti-malware company. The blocker could prevent
websites from showing ads that may house malicious code, he
said.
One reason not to panic just yet: Security researchers who
discovered the chip flaws said exploiting them is so complex,
hackers are likely to continue relying on common techniques such as
phishing. The chip flaws could be more useful for hackers targeting
computer servers or high-priority devices.
Write to Jay Greene at Jay.Greene@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 04, 2018 23:46 ET (04:46 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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