back to article 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 …

  1. aregross
    FAIL

    WTF, they just now found this shiite? Horse Hockey!

    1. bombastic bob Silver badge
      Linux

      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!!!]

  2. -tim
    Facepalm

    Who cracked their secure enclave?

    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.

    1. Will Godfrey Silver badge

      Re: Who cracked their secure enclave?

      Indeed. NSA are probably furious!

      1. Chris 15
        Black Helicopters

        Re: Who cracked their secure enclave?

        Nono, the NSA won't be worried. TYhey'll just keep on using the properly coded support for their spying already present...

  3. big_D

    No updates

    According to the official Intel updater, my video drivers from October 2018 are still the most current version! :-S

    1. Peter Prof Fox

      Updater is Windows only

      First I've heard of this tar-pit but I thought worth a look. Win==fail.

    2. Steve Jackson

      Yep they've posted advisories but there are no fixes for all

      4th & 5th Gen CPUs here both on 20.19.15.5058 (15.40.41.5058)

      build 5063 or higher is required.

      Updates for SGX/CSME well, good luck with the OEMs is all I can say.

    3. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

      Re: No updates

      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".

  4. Steve Graham
    Big Brother

    I'm wondering which of these patches defeat the user's ability to unofficially disable the CSME or TXE. It's for their own good, of course.

  5. A.P. Veening Silver badge

    Fantastic

    Couldn't they get those patches ready in time for patch Tuesday? Even Adobe can manage that nowadays. And who the hell releases them immediately after patch Tuesday anyway?

  6. Uncle Ron

    Focus

    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?

  7. Robert Carnegie Silver badge

    Naive question

    Can this be left to Windows Update, or...?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Naive question

      That makes at least two of us wondering around that. Every other WHQL driver here gets updated on Patch Tuesday or whenever Microsoft puts it into the distribution chain. So, why the change?

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