KB4056892 Fixes Critical Win10 Security Bugs
Over the holidays, news emerged about a horrible flaw in x86 processors. Alas, it affects Intel and AMD hardware alike. This is hardware level stuff that will change layouts for future processors, because it exposes PCs to deep security vulnerabilities. In the meantime, users must accept performance hits on Intel processors from 5 to 30 percent! See this story at The Register for more details on what’s being called the “kernel memory leaking” Intel processor design flaw. Upgrade all Win10 PCs under your control to Build 16299.192 or higher ASAP.
You want Winver to report 16299.192 or a higher-numbered version to make sure the fix is installed.
Install Now: KB4056892 Fixes Critical Win10 Security Bugs!!
By default, Windows Update should happily install the afore-named update. Or, you can grab it from the Microsoft Update Catalog, and install it manually. Companies and organizations should rush it into compatibility testing ASAP. The same urgency applies to its deployment, too. This one is worth jumping the usual queue to accommodate, as admonitions from many security experts and recent calls to action will demonstrate.
Ultimately, PC vendors will also have to publish firmware updates to help address this issue. In fact, MS has already published firmware updates for its Surface family of products. Other motherboard and system vendors should soon follow suit. Be sure to check related websites for those updates, too!
On Another Subject Altogether…
I was surprised and pleased to have received an email from Microsoft on January 2, informing me that I’ve been chosen as a Windows Insider MVP for 2018. That means I’ll get more exposure to information about Windows 10 and related products and platforms directly from the source. Hopefully, I’ll be able to share some of that news with my readers and add to the flow of news and info on this blog and elsewhere. I’m still figuring out what all this means, but I’ll happily share what I can with all of you going forward.
[Shout out to Shawn Brink at TenForums.com whose 1/3 “Kernel memory leaking Intel processor design flaw” Windows 10 News post alerted me to this issue. Thanks!]