Intel says Friday's mystery 'security update' microcode isn't really a security update

False alarm: despite a patch notes suggesting otherwise, that mysterious blob of microcode released for many Intel microprocessors last week was not a security update, the x86 giant says. In an email Monday, an Intel spokesperson told The Register that microcode-20230512, which popped up on the manufacturer's GitHub page “does …

[sev.monster]

Wonder which silicon boffin slipped in some fun exploit before they got the boot?

Mine's the one with the tinfoil and the boot mark. On the back.

[IGotOut]

Could be..

...one hell of a hole, so much so, they are pushing out updates before announcing the flaw.

[jollyboyspecial]

NA

NA (rather N/A) has always meant Not Applicable in most contexts. Who decided this meant Not Available?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: NA

Usage over dictionary entries is how language has always worked.

[Cybersaber]

Re: NA

It can also mean North America, as in the release was region-specific. If you were going to change the designation, why not replace SA with NA or some other new code.

A more cynical mind might conclude they wanted something pushed out for their own benefit, and used a false flag to get people who wouldn't otherwise accept the update to apply it.

[Cav]

"We now know it meant “not applicable,” Everyone with any education already knew it.

[anonymous boring coward]

Perhaps the code was supplied by the NSA?