A fundamental design flaw in Intel's processor chips has forced a significant redesign of the Linux and Windows kernels to defang the chip-level security bug.
At worst, the hole could be abused by programs and logged-in users to read the contents of the kernel's memory.
The kernel's memory space is hidden from user processes and programs because it may contain all sorts of secrets, such as passwords, login keys, files cached from disk, and so on. Imagine a piece of JavaScript running in a browser, or malicious software running on a shared public cloud server, able to sniff sensitive kernel-protected data.
source:
https://www.theregister.co.uk/…02/intel_cpu_design_flaw/
### update ###
These vulnerabilities affect many CPUs, including those from AMD, ARM, and Intel, as well as the devices and operating systems running on them.
https://security.googleblog.co…bility-what-you-need.html