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Microsoft releases updates to protect Surface devices against Meltdown and Spectre

Microsoft releases updates to protect Surface devices against Meltdown and Spectre

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Microsoft Surface Pro 4

Microsoft just released several updates aimed at helping protect Surface devices from the two security vulnerabilities exposed by CPU bugs. The two bugs, nicknamed Meltdown and Spectre, affect almost every device made in the past 20 years, including AMD, ARM, and Intel systems and processors.

Installing the newest patch is one of the main ways users can protect themselves from Meltdown and Spectre. The support article about the new updates by Microsoft states that the company is also aware of how the vulnerabilities could impact its cloud services and has attempted to secure them.

For now, there aren’t any confirmed attacks on Microsoft customers exploiting the vulnerabilities. “Microsoft has not received any information to indicate that these vulnerabilities have been used to attack customers at this time,” the article states.

The following Surface devices running Windows 10 can be updated with the new patch:

  • Surface Pro 3
  • Surface Pro 4
  • Surface Book
  • Surface Studio
  • Surface Pro Model 1796
  • Surface Laptop
  • Surface Pro with LTE Advanced
  • Surface Book 2

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to The Verge that the updates are currently rolling out now, and they can be downloaded by either checking with the device’s internal update system or by visiting the Microsoft Download Center. The company stresses, however, to wait for the appropriate firmware updates specifically related to Meltdown and Spectre, so as not to download older versions.

Update at 6:35PM ET, 1/4: Clarified that Microsoft says firmware updates are rolling out now, and are not immediately available for all users.