Tech companies scramble to fix widespread chip flaw

Software companies and chipmakers around the world have started to take action after a report released Tuesday revealed a design flaw in computer and smartphone processors that could leave the devices open to cyberattacks and slow their performance. The Register technology blog on Tuesday announced that Google researchers first discovered the problem, which affects Windows and Linux users. In a blog post, Google said it privately informed Intel, AMD, and ARM Holdings of the issues on June 1 last year to give them time to find solutions before the problems became public. A second group of researchers who discovered a potential cyberattack that could exploit the same flaw said their tests revealed that Intel chips were affected the most but ARM and AMD processors also were vulnerable. In response, Microsoft on Wednesday released a security update for its Windows 10 operating system to protect users. Google released a statement noting it updated most of its systems and products with additional protection. China-based Alibaba Group said it scheduled a system update at 1 a.m. on Jan. 12 to respond to potential chip security issues. But security experts warned the changes could affect the devices’ performance. The Register reported the slowdowns could be as much as 30 percent.