Friday Five — August 17, 2018

L1 Terminal Fault (L1TF) is a security vulnerability that allows unauthorized users to access information from Intel processor based servers including deployments in cloud environments. This 3-minute video provides a high-level primer on what L1TF is and how it works.

Intel disclosed three more vulnerabilities in its processors that can be exploited by malware and malicious virtual machines to potentially steal secret information from computer memory. In the pursuit of ever-increasing performance, defenses to protect people's data became optional.

The L1TF (L1 Terminal Fault) Intel processor vulnerability is complex and in some cases requires specific actions by customers to effect a complete mitigation. Red Hat and our partners have been working to prepare for the public coordinated disclosure, and to prepare patches, documentation, training, and other materials necessary to help keep our customers and their data safe.

L1 Terminal Fault, an unwelcome addition to the Spectre and Meltdown family tree, has just been announced, providing a serious new wrinkle to modern IT security efforts. What does it do? Where did it come from? And how do you fix it? Hear about the deeper technical details of L1 Terminal Fault (and the related Foreshadow vulnerability) from Red Hat's Jon Masters.