AMD has fixed its latest security flaw - but at the cost of massive slowdowns
AMD is patching inception, but the results aren’t great
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AMDhas been rolling out updates to its Zen processors to mitigate theinception vulnerabilitythat was discovered recently. However, it appears that there’s catch.
The Linux websitePhoronixhas been benchmarking the CPUs post update and the results are not good news for performance: in some cases, tasks were 54% slower than those run on unpatched chips.
Some apps, such as 7zip, Blender, and Firefox, didn’t take too much of a hit, although 7Zip performed the worst out of the three. However, industry-grade software appeared to suffer much more.
Performance hits
For instance, database app MariaDB performed much worse on patched Epyc server processors. Other applications related to code compilation, engineering, and image processing were also similarly impacted.
AMD has been patching its affected chips in three different ways: some have kernel-based mitigation, some have new microcode, and others have Indirect Branch Prediction Barrier (IBPB) mitigation applied. The latter is considered the most secure fix, but also most often responsible for the worst slowdowns.
I’m hyped about these AMD Zen 5 benchmark leaks – and you should be too>More bad news for Intel: AMD is making rapid progress in a key market>AMD Ryzen 7000 successor statement is ‘genuine mistake’, says server firm
This isn’t the first time a major CPU flaw has caused problems.Intelhad the infamousMeltdown/ Spectre flawsin many of its processors - and AMD was affected partially too - which let threat actors read system memory and gain valuable information, such as passwords and encryption keys.
In trying to fix the problem with a firmware patch,Intel unwittingly made systems borderline unusable, causing spontaneous reboots and instability issues. It then issued a directive to all involved in the supply chain of its chips, including end-users, not to download the patch.
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More recently, both CPU titans were found to have another security problem in their respective products, similar to Meltdown and Spectre, calledRetbleed, which let abusers access kernel memory. Again, fixing this issue means inevitably slowing down the chips' performance.
Lewis Maddison is a Reviews Writer for TechRadar. He previously worked as a Staff Writer for our business section, TechRadar Pro, where he had experience with productivity-enhancing hardware, ranging from keyboards to standing desks. His area of expertise lies in computer peripherals and audio hardware, having spent over a decade exploring the murky depths of both PC building and music production. He also revels in picking up on the finest details and niggles that ultimately make a big difference to the user experience.
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