If we want our PC to be as secure as possible, we must follow a series of recommendations that will help us relatively since, unfortunately, neither software nor hardware exists. 100% safewhen it is not a program, it is the operating system or the hardware of our PC.
In addition to using an antivirus, for our computer to be protected we must always install all operating system updates regardless of the operating system. But we also cannot forget to update the firmware and drivers of the components of our PC, since these also include vulnerabilities that can endanger safety of our PC.
Intel and AMD have published a list with a series of vulnerabilities in their products once they have been fixed and the corresponding update is now available that we must install if we have one of the affected products.
Intel vulnerabilities
Let’s start with Intel’s vulnerabilities, since their number is greater than those that have been detected in AMD products. The total number of vulnerabilities detected in Intel products amounts to a total of 34. Among these 34 vulnerabilities, 32 correspond to drivers while the remaining 2 are linked to firmware. Fortunately, not all of them are taken into account with the same danger criterion.
The most dangerous are linked to Thunderclap and with the XTU application. 20 of these vulnerabilities are related to the drivers of this connection type and are considered a high risk to the computer because they allow other people’s friends to execute malicious code to control the computer.
However, it is not all bad news, since to take advantage of this vulnerability it is necessary to have direct access to equipment. The rest of the vulnerabilities detected by Intel and the patch for which is now available on its website affect Wi-Fi chip drivers as well as a large number of applications such as Intel Unison, Intel SSU, Intel SGX, Intel Battery Life Diagnostics and BIOS of some products in the NUC range (already discontinued and in the hands of ASUS).
AMD vulnerabilities
While the number of Intel vulnerabilities exceeds thirty, in the case of AMD these are reduced to only 4 and affect the Zen line of processors, so they affect a wide range of products, from servers to workstations, desktops and mobile devices.
Unlike those published by Intel, all those that have been detected and corrected by AMD are considered to be high risk since they allow malicious code to be executed remotely and computers to be controlled to carry out DDO attacks.
Processor models affected by this vulnerability affect Ryzen 3000 series desktop processors, 4000 series APUs, and computers with V2000 and V3000 chips. However, unlike Intel, not all vulnerabilities They have been patched. The only patch that can be downloaded and installed is the one that affects 4000 series laptop APUs. The rest of the patches are expected to be released in March for Ryzen 3000 desktops and in April for V2000 and V3000 integrated chips.
