Canonical has withdrawn Intel’s Spectre Update (20180108) due to hardware issue
Due to a few microcode hardware issues, Canonical today formally announced the complete withdrawal of Intel microcode firmware updates released for all supported Ubuntu systems. Two weeks ago, Canonical updated the Intel microcode firmware to version 20180108, primarily to fix the Specter Security Vulnerability – CVE-2017-5715. The vulnerability allows local attackers to steal sensitive information such as credit card details or the kernel’s encryption keys.
Some older Intel processor users who installed the update after the firmware update was released indicated that there was a compatibility issue. At the request of Intel, Canonical has withdrawn the 20180108 microcode firmware update from the Ubuntu Software Repository, and the current visit is still only able to access the previous version (20170707).
“USN-3531-1 updated Intel microcode to the 20180108 release. Regressions were discovered in the microcode updates which could cause system instability on certain hardware platforms. At the request of Intel, we have reverted to the previous packaged microcode version, the 20170707 release,” reads today’s advisory.
Update instructions
The problem can be corrected by updating your system to the following package version:
- Ubuntu 17.10:
- intel-microcode3.20180108.0+really20170707ubuntu17.10.1
- Ubuntu 16.04 LTS:
- intel-microcode3.20180108.0+really20170707ubuntu16.04.1
- Ubuntu 14.04 LTS:
- intel-microcode3.20180108.0+really20170707ubuntu14.04.1
To update your system, please follow these instructions: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Security/Upgrades.
After a standard system update you need to reboot your computer to make all the necessary changes.
Source: ubuntu
