Don’t know a whole lot about this computer threat yet but keep your devices updated for security. It appears to hit all devices.
DS (who is somewhat paranoid about cyber security) texted me last night to turn on whatever Adblock and scriptblock extensions I have for my browser (which is Firefox). From what I gather, one major danger is in the servers so not much we can do, and the other is potential software which could download onto your computer. But isn’t that always the issue?! Stay off unfamiliar sites, don’t allow websites to save passwords in your browser, and stop slow or unresponsive script.
And yes, install updates.
Just a PSA–
The updates to security for Windows ( at least) have started with 10 and working back to Windows 7 with fixes coming in next few days.
Not sure but this appears to be different in that it can hit ALL your devices including phone and tablets etc. Not just Windows but nearly all platforms (apple too).
And yes, it has all the usual hallmarks and precautions–don’t open e-mails or download 3rd party apps, etc.
This is widespread and new and appears to be something that “takes over” your computer and gains access to passwords etc without recourse .
It is considered critical to download security updates as they become available in the next few days.
The “fix” for one of the bugs is supposed to slow down your processor by 30%.
Early news reports only said that in rare situations it might be up to 30%. But the expectation is more like 3%, or not at all. And Google’s first test saw negligible impact.
^Google’s tests found a negligible impact on their cloud servers, running their applications not benchmarks. The KPTI hit depends on your hardware, OS, application, and I/O.
I’m due for a new iphone. Should I wait a bit and see if this is resolved before I get something that needs fixing?
^Here’s what Apple says: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208394.