Since early 2018, a major chip-level security flaw has shaken the tech industry. Major players like Intel, ARM, AMD, Apple, Microsoft, and Google have all been impacted, with no company left untouched. As the scandal unfolded, Intel and AMD saw their market values drop significantly, while Apple faced its first class-action lawsuit in the U.S.
The vulnerability, known as Meltdown and Spectre, exploits speculative execution in CPUs, allowing hackers to access sensitive data from memory through user-level applications. This flaw affects nearly all modern processors, including those from Intel, ARM, AMD, and Nvidia. Apple, which uses both Intel and its own A-series chips in iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TVs, was also vulnerable.
Although many companies, including Apple, have released patches, Apple became the target of a class-action lawsuit due to the issue. The plaintiffs, Anthony Bartling and Jacqueline Olson, filed the suit in the U.S. District Court of San Jose, targeting users of Apple devices equipped with ARM-based processors. These include iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches, and Apple TVs using A4 to A11 chips.
The lawsuit claims that Apple was aware of the vulnerabilities as early as June 2017 but failed to inform the public promptly. It also argues that Apple is unlikely to fully resolve Meltdown and Spectre without compromising processor performance. The case is expected to involve over 100 Apple users, with potential compensation exceeding $5 million.
Apple responded by releasing updates for iOS 11.2, macOS 10.13.2, and tvOS 11.2 to address Meltdown and mitigate Spectre. However, some developers reported performance drops on certain devices, though Apple claimed the impact was minimal. For instance, tests showed little effect on Speedometer and SRES-6 benchmarks, with only a less than 2.5% decrease in JetStream scores.
In addition to the U.S. lawsuit, Israeli users recently filed a similar class-action suit against Apple, Intel, and ARM in the Haifa District Court. They accused the companies of compromising user privacy through these CPU flaws. While Apple was not the developer of the affected processors, it remains a key customer and thus faces legal consequences.
This incident highlights the growing concern around hardware-level security flaws and the challenges companies face in balancing performance with protection. As more users become aware of these risks, the pressure on tech giants to act transparently and responsibly will likely continue to grow.
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