Microsoft Issues Rare Out-of-Band Emergency Windows Update For Processor Security Bugs (theverge.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: Microsoft is issuing a rare out-of-band security update to supported versions of Windows today (Wednesday). The software update is part of a number of fixes that will protect against a newly-discovered processor bug in Intel, AMD, and ARM chipsets. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans tell The Verge that the company will issue a Windows update that will be automatically applied to Windows 10 machines at 5PM ET / 2PM PT today. The update will also be available for older and supported versions of Windows today, but systems running operating systems like Windows 7 or Windows 8 won't automatically be updated through Windows Update until next Tuesday. Windows 10 will be automatically updated today.

Comments

Should be user-configurable or based on trust

[JoeyRox]

Due to the performance impact of this workaround it should have an option to disable it like Linux is providing. An alternate, more refined approach would be to selectively enable the kernel page-table isolation on a per-process basis, based on either user configuration or an automatic trust determination such as whether the app is signed by a trusted certificate source (ie, downloaded, unsigned apps would run with page isolation enabled).

Can't risk sanctity of kernel-enforced DRM

[Miamicanes]

Since the most likely result of the vulnerability to desktop users is being able to defeat kernel-enforced DRM and Windows licensing, it's no surprise Microsoft would push this out as a mandatory update of the highest priority.