{"id":18079,"date":"2018-05-20T08:00:33","date_gmt":"2018-05-20T12:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.psafe.com\/en\/blog\/?p=18079"},"modified":"2022-04-27T15:08:48","modified_gmt":"2022-04-27T19:08:48","slug":"meltdown-and-spectre-are-aimed-at-your-sensitive-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.psafe.com\/en\/blog\/meltdown-and-spectre-are-aimed-at-your-sensitive-data\/","title":{"rendered":"Meltdown and Spectre Are Aimed At Your Sensitive Data"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two of the computing world\u2019s most significant threats were unveiled a few months ago by a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/googleprojectzero.blogspot.com\/2018\/01\/reading-privileged-memory-with-side.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">research team at Google<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, showcasing an exploit present in nearly all computer processors that could give hackers access to sensitive information passing through your machine. Known as Meltdown and Spectre, the alarming timeline of the malware was bad enough, but now research shows that the risk is spreading to smartphones. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An excellent way to take this new threat seriously is to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">download <a href=\"https:\/\/app.appsflyer.com\/com.psafe.msuite?pid=MKT_BLOG_US&amp;c=meltdown_and_spectre\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dfndr security<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This 4.5 rated app has a full virus scan feature that scans your files, images, and even the SD card of your Android to check for any viruses or malware. You can\u2019t stay alert all day and night, so utilizing an app that has your back is the best way to start.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Read More: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psafe.com\/en\/blog\/av-test-rates-dfndr-best-antivirus-apps\/\"><b>AV-TEST Rates dfndr as Top Among Antivirus Apps<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>What\u2019s Vulnerable and Why<br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A feature known as CPU data cache timing, which allows computers to work fast, is at the heart of this major security breach. Explained in easy terms, a machine\u2019s data cache allows it to access bits of information faster than it would without this feature. Unfortunately, a vulnerability in the data cache timing process allows malware to intercept sensitive data such as password information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Exploits Are Rapidly Increasing<br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the most substantial issue has been laptop and desktop computers running Intel or AMD processors, the ARM processors found on smartphones are also at risk. With almost <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thehackernews.com\/2018\/02\/meltdown-spectre-malware-hacking.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">140 pieces of malware<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> utilizing the new vulnerabilities, consumers and businesses need to remain cautious and on the lookout.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most Android devices utilize a processor architecture known as ARM &#8211; one of the more vulnerable platforms. This means the most popular devices in the world such as Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, and Motorola\u2019s Moto, are at risk for the vulnerability.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Possible Solutions to Stay Safe<br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One possible solution implemented by Intel was halted as the company found the security <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.intel.com\/news\/root-cause-of-reboot-issue-identified-updated-guidance-for-customers-and-partners\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">patch caused system instability<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. When new vulnerabilities are discovered, companies are typically able to patch them and prevent further damage. However, as we stand months later, Intel and other CPU manufacturers have yet to provide a solution for such a collection of risky vulnerabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For now, the best option for protecting yourself is to ensure that all of your devices such as laptops, computers, smartphones are fully updated to the latest software versions. Running a reliable antivirus solution is also strongly recommended and is your best chance of remaining unaffected by the exploits.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Almost all computers are being targeted by new, malicious malware that could take over the whole of your device &#8211; including your smartphone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[30,162,182,249],"class_list":["post-18079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-security","tag-android","tag-antivirus","tag-malware","tag-security"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.psafe.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.psafe.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.psafe.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.psafe.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.psafe.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18079"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.psafe.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18079\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18712,"href":"https:\/\/www.psafe.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18079\/revisions\/18712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.psafe.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.psafe.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.psafe.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}