Thought you were done patching this week? Not if you're using an Intel-powered PC or server Hot on the heels of this month's security updates from Microsoft, Adobe, and SAP, Intel has kicked out a batch of its own bug patches. Chipzilla's March patch dump is highlighted by fixes for 19 CVE-listed vulnerabilities in its graphics drivers for Windows. If you use Windows and have those drivers (and if you're running an …
I'm curious if any of the X11 drivers are affected by these vulnerabilities, and will Intel BOTHER to issue fixes for any of THOSE ???
Intel would do well to embrace Linux and NOT hitch their wagon to Micro-shaft, and then they'd sell MORE CHIPS because people will buy MORE new computers if they can get them, pre-installed, fully supported, WITHOUT Win-10-nic ON THEM!
But yeah, they're stuck in the mid 2000's in their thinking, I bet, and not in a GOOD way. [A _good_ way of 'naughties' thinking would be to embrace the Windows 7 and XP interfaces, but NOT the assumption that EVERY computer MUST run Windows!!!]
The scope of these patches makes it looks like someone with talent managed to extract the software from their secure enclave and took a look at it. Someone who was willing to tell Intel about the problems as opposed to those willing to sell zero day exploits.
Yeah. And if Intel does make updated drivers available, don't count on OEMs to publish them through their channels, either. I have a Dell laptop that's over a year old which still doesn't have an updated Intel network driver to fix the idiotic "Netwtw06" bug. (For which, frankly, someone at Intel should be disciplined. That should have been caught in testing and fixed long before the driver went GA.)
Windows device drivers now seem to be an entry-level job, given to the least-experienced staff, with poor QA and oversight. Device drivers are effectively a monopolistic market - there's no competition for writing drivers for particular hardware platform - and so there's no economic pressure to make the driver any better than "what won't turn off too many customers from the brand for future purposes".
Is all these guys ever do now is fix security "bugs?" Does anybody ever focus on software performance or broken stuff in new versions? I'm still trying to get Windows to fix Network Discovery in 10. Windows 10 1807 or 1809 or "Anniversary Edition" or some damn thing (I just now "upgraded" from 7) broke Network Discovery and I can't see the other 7 PC's in my home network. This is a real pain and MS has (so far as I can tell) done NOTHING to fix it. I have done ENDLESS googling and read ENDLESS dead ends. My home network is essentially useless if I can't easily share files with the other PC's in my network.
I wonder if there's something else going on here (with all this focus on "security...) Huh? Thoughts?
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