The (Intel) Sky Is Falling

Clickbait drives me crazy. So much of the press grabs a quote and makes a story out of it where there really isn't any meat to it.

A recent example is a WIRED story with the headline:

Security News This Week: An Unfixable Flaw Threatens 5 Years of Intel Chips

Doesn't that scare you? 5 YEARS OF INTEL CHIPS ARE THREATENED!

WIRED refers to a blog post that says:

The problem is not only that it is impossible to fix firmware errors that are hard-coded in the Mask ROM of microprocessors and chipsets. The larger worry is that, because this vulnerability allows a compromise at the hardware level, it destroys the chain of trust for the platform as a whole.

OMG! The world is ending. The "chain of trust" is DESTROYED!

In a headline ArsTechnica called this flaw:

...a concerning flaw that’s unfixable

Finally (and ironically) The Register brings some sanity to this discussion.

Although exploitation is like shooting a lone fish in a tiny barrel 1,000 miles away

Whew! I think we're safe.

Intel said that "an attack would require local access, specialized gear, and a high level of skill, making it relatively impractical in the real world."

reddit posted a link to the WIRED article and one of the comments gave some really good advice.

Guess I'll stop inviting Russians over for dinner.

Yeah, me too.