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ZombieLoad Variant 2, yet another Intel-only side-channel dataleak vulnerability

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I wanted a rude username:

--- Quote ---With November 14th, 2019, we present a new variant of ZombieLoad that enables the attack on CPUs that include hardware mitigations against MDS in silicon. With Variant 2 (TAA), data can still be leaked on microarchitectures like Cascade Lake where other MDS attacks like RIDL or Fallout are not possible. Furthermore, we show that the software-based mitigations in combinations with microcode updates presented as countermeasures against MDS attacks are not sufficient.

We disclosed Variant 2 to Intel on April 23th, 2019, and communicated that the attacks work on Cascade Lake CPUs on May 10th, 2019. On May 12th, 2019, the variant has been put under embargo and, thus, has not been published with the previous version of our ZombieLoad attack on May 14th, 2019.
--- End quote ---
(emphasis added)

Official page
ZDNet article

Black Phoenix:
The speculative execution process that Intel uses leaks like a sieve, that's for sure already know. What I still don't know is why Intel still doesn't block the process in any CPU currently in the market and releases a new method on the new products without know vulnerabilities for a while. Yes we are going to see drops in performance in some cases more the 40%, but it's better than having a house without a door. The AMD way of doing the same is not affected (for now). Better to take all the backlash and simply close the vulnerability for ever, and prevent future variants, that simply update the microcode, get a performance hit and then another vulnerability is discovered, update the microcode again, another hit in performance.

Intel, how about physical cores without HT, or small slow cores for some tasks not intensive and faster large cores for task intensive calculations. Intel CPU with ARM cores?

I wanted a rude username:
Possibly one or more of:

* The design decisions that make their implementation both fast and vulnerable are so deep that it will take them years to switch to an alternative design
* They have an alternative, but it's slower
* They didn't take the problem seriously at first, and delayed committing to a rearchitecture
* The complexity was already too great for them (see their delays in getting to 10 nm) and they can no longer manage it
* They think the market will keep buying Intel regardless

Black Phoenix:

--- Quote from: I wanted a rude username on November 14, 2019, 10:23:08 am ---Possibly one or more of:

* The design decisions that make their implementation both fast and vulnerable are so deep that it will take them years to switch to an alternative design
* They have an alternative, but it's slower
* They didn't take the problem seriously at first, and delayed committing to a rearchitecture
* The complexity was already too great for them (see their delays in getting to 10 nm) and they can no longer manage it
* They think the market will keep buying Intel regardless
--- End quote ---

I think is all at the same time...

Mr. Scram:

--- Quote from: Black Phoenix on November 14, 2019, 05:06:32 am ---The speculative execution process that Intel uses leaks like a sieve, that's for sure already know. What I still don't know is why Intel still doesn't block the process in any CPU currently in the market and releases a new method on the new products without know vulnerabilities for a while. Yes we are going to see drops in performance in some cases more the 40%, but it's better than having a house without a door. The AMD way of doing the same is not affected (for now). Better to take all the backlash and simply close the vulnerability for ever, and prevent future variants, that simply update the microcode, get a performance hit and then another vulnerability is discovered, update the microcode again, another hit in performance.

Intel, how about physical cores without HT, or small slow cores for some tasks not intensive and faster large cores for task intensive calculations. Intel CPU with ARM cores?

--- End quote ---
They'd probably open themselves up to huge liabilities. It's better to go on and pretend their world isn't burning.

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