The Register: AMD warns of new Meltdown, Spectre-like bugs affecting CPUs

Jul 9, 2025

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Source URL: https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/09/amd_tsa_side_channel/
Source: The Register
Title: AMD warns of new Meltdown, Spectre-like bugs affecting CPUs

Feedly Summary: Low-severity bugs but infosec pros claim they are a ‘critical’ overall threat – patch accordingly
AMD is warning users of a newly discovered form of side-channel attack affecting a broad range of its chips that could lead to information disclosure.…

AI Summary and Description: Yes

Summary: The text discusses a newly identified form of side-channel attack on AMD chips that, while considered low-severity individually, poses a significant threat to overall information security. This highlights the importance for security professionals to remain vigilant, particularly regarding hardware vulnerabilities that can lead to data breaches.

Detailed Description: The announcement from AMD regarding this side-channel attack presents critical implications for security professionals in the fields of hardware security and information security. The threat’s classification as low-severity individually belies its potential impact when considered across a broad spectrum of devices and systems.

– **Side-Channel Attack**: These types of attacks exploit physical implementation characteristics of a system (such as timing information, power consumption, etc.) rather than traditional software vulnerabilities.

– **AMD’s Warning**: The company emphasizes the potential for information disclosure due to these vulnerabilities, urging users to update their systems accordingly.

– **Low-Severity Risk**: Despite being categorized as low-severity, the cumulative threat of such vulnerabilities can significantly increase due to the widespread use of affected hardware, necessitating proactive security measures.

– **Implications for Information Security**: Information security professionals need to:
– Assess hardware vulnerabilities within their organizations.
– Implement appropriate patches or mitigations without delay.
– Foster a culture of ongoing monitoring for similar emerging threats.

– **Broader Context**: This incident underscores the continuous evolution of threats associated with hardware security underlining the need for vigilance and updates, even for risks deemed low-severity.

This event serves as a reminder that all components of an infrastructure, particularly hardware, are critical to safeguarding sensitive data. By recognizing the potential impact of side-channel attacks, professionals can strengthen their security postures effectively.

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