While no actual hacks using Spectre or Meltdown are known to exist for either iOS or Android at this point, if and when one is eventually created, it will use software to exploit the weaknesses in your processor's speculative execution mechanism. However, since the code from all of your apps is filtered through your phone's processor, software is at the core of this issue.

In short, it's a hardware security issue, not software. While this in itself is no cause for concern, researchers find that, occasionally, the act of speculative execution leaves data that should be protected open to potential access by intruders. Meltdown & Spectre Explainedĭuring speculative execution, which is a mechanism many processors use to anticipate upcoming actions and speed up performance, the chips access multiple memory points at once to retrieve the proper resources. What's important, however, is that you remain vigilant. So a wide variety of electronic devices are at risk, and it doesn't matter what operating system you're running. The two vulnerabilities at play here are called Meltdown and Spectre, and they're due to flaws in a very common mechanism used by processors.

If you want to make sure your smartphone and its data stay secure, there are a few steps you can take. The devices that are at risk are not limited to either iPhone or Android - all of us are affected. You may have seen news reports over the last two days detailing a major security flaw in virtually all smartphones.

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