Researchers Discover Two Major Flaws in the World’s Computers - The New York Times

Both discovered by Google Project Zero; also see Intel Says Range of Chips Vulnerable to Hack, Denies ‘Bug’ (Bloomberg)

"The two problems, called Meltdown and Spectre, could allow hackers to steal the entire memory contents of computers, including mobile devices, personal computers and servers running in so-called cloud computer networks.

There is no easy fix for Spectre, which could require redesigning the processors, according to researchers. As for Meltdown, the software patch needed to fix the issue could slow down computers by as much as 30 percent — an ugly situation for people used to fast downloads from their favorite online services."

Researchers Discover Two Major Flaws in the World’s Computers - The New York Times