Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Data Protection

IBM Releases Spectre, Meltdown Patches for Power Systems

IBM has released firmware and operating system updates to address the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities in the company’s Power Systems servers.

IBM has released firmware and operating system updates to address the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities in the company’s Power Systems servers.

IBM started releasing firmware patches for its POWER processors within a week after the Spectre and Meltdown attack methods were disclosed. Firmware updates were first released for the POWER7+ and POWER8 processors, but customers would have to wait another month for operating system patches.

The company announced late last week the availability of patches for remaining POWER processors, along with updates for its AIX and IBM i operating systems.

Firmware patches are now available for POWER7, POWER7+, POWER8 and POWER9 processors. Earlier versions will not receive updates as they have reached end of service and IBM recommends migrating to a supported generation.

The vulnerabilities that allow Meltdown and Spectre attacks (CVE-2017-5753, CVE-2017-5715 and CVE-2017-5754) have also been patched in IBM i with the release of program temporary fixes (PTFs) for versions 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3. Fixes have also been released for AIX 5.3, 6.1, 7.1 and 7.2, and VIOS 2.2.x.

Both firmware and operating system updates must be installed for efficient protection against Meltdown and Spectre attacks. However, it’s recommended that the firmware patches are applied prior to operating system updates.

The Meltdown and Spectre attacks allow malicious applications to bypass memory isolation mechanisms and access potentially sensitive data. Billions of devices using Intel, AMD, ARM, Qualcomm and IBM processors are affected.

Impacted vendors started releasing software and firmware patches shortly after the methods were disclosed, but both types of fixes caused problems.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

A few weeks after it started releasing microcode patches, Intel decided to halt updates due to frequent reboots and unpredictable system behavior. The company now says it has identified the root cause of the problem and started releasing a new round of patches.

Intel and AMD told customers that their future products will include built-in protections for exploits such as Specter and Meltdown.

Related: Fake Meltdown/Spectre Patch Installs Malware

Related: Intel Tests Performance Impact of CPU Patches on Data Centers

Related: Industry Reactions to Meltdown, Spectre Attacks

Written By

Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is a managing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher for two years before starting a career in journalism as Softpedia’s security news reporter. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering.

Click to comment

Trending

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Discover strategies for vendor selection, integration to minimize redundancies, and maximizing ROI from your cybersecurity investments. Gain actionable insights to ensure your stack is ready for tomorrow’s challenges.

Register

Dive into critical topics such as incident response, threat intelligence, and attack surface management. Learn how to align cyber resilience plans with business objectives to reduce potential impacts and secure your organization in an ever-evolving threat landscape.

Register

People on the Move

The US arm of networking giant TP-Link has appointed Adam Robertson as Director of Information and Security.

Raj Dodhiawala has been named Chief Product Officer at Eclypsium.

Cyber exposure management firm Armis has promoted Alex Mosher to President.

More People On The Move

Expert Insights

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest cybersecurity news, threats, and expert insights. Unsubscribe at any time.