Skip to main content

Intel warned Chinese tech firms of security flaws before telling U.S. government

top tech stories intel
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Intel warned certain customers, including Chinese tech firms, of the Spectre and Meltdown security flaws before notifying the United States government, the Wall Street Journal reportedThe flaws were first discovered by Google’s Project Zero team in June 2017. Intel held off on disclosing the issue while it worked on possible fixes. The company planned to make the announcement on January 9, but The Register broke the story on January 2. Intel then confirmed the news the next day.

Intel did notify several major tech firms in an effort to limit the potential damage and help work on fixes. A representative from the Department of Homeland Security said that the department did not learn of the flaws until the news was broken, however. Homeland Security is often notified of such issues before the public, and often acts as a source of guidance for how to address them.

Recommended Videos

In response to questions from Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), Intel has since revealed the reason it didn’t disclose the flaws to government agencies and officials. It claimed that since there was “no indication that any of these vulnerabilities had been exploited by malicious actors,” it didn’t see the need, according to Reuters. It also revealed that it didn’t think the flaw would be capable of harming critical infrastructure because it didn’t believe it could affect industrial control systems.

Alphabet, a department of which discovered the Meltdown and Spectre flaws, had extended its typical 90-day grace period before revealing the bug to the public twice, to January 3 and then January 9.

The NSA was one of those agencies left in the dark about the problem. Rob Joyce, the White House’s top official on matters of cybersecurity, sent out a tweet saying that the NSA was unaware of the vulnerabilities.

Intel refused to name any of the companies it warned prior to the scheduled January 9 announcement, though several of the companies had been identified, including Microsoft, Amazon, Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo, and Chinese cloud-computing firm Alibaba Group Holding. A representative from Intel said that it had planned to brief others, including the U.S. government, prior to the January 9 announcement, but the company said that it was unable to do so because the story was reported sooner than expected.

Recent correspondence to representatives from Microsoft stated that it did inform several antivirus makers about the flaws a number of weeks before the public reveal.

Jake Williams, a former employee of the National Security Agency and current president of Rendition Infosec LLC, told the Wall Street Journal that the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities would have been of great interest to any intelligence organization.

Williams also warned that it is a “near certainty” that the Chinese government was aware of Spectre and Meltdown before the U.S., given that the Communist Party closely monitors such communications.

Representatives from the Chinese government did not comment on this story. In the past, however, the country’s foreign ministry has said that it is “resolutely opposed” to all forms of hacking.

Updated on February 23: Updated information on Intel revelations.

Eric Brackett
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Homeland Security wants to expand airport facial scans to U.S. citizens
uk retail giant to use face scanning tech

U.S. citizens exiting and entering the country at facilities such as airports are currently exempt from the facial scan process demanded of noncitizens, but that could soon change.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently proposed expanding facial recognition checks to Americans “to help prevent persons attempting to fraudulently use U.S. travel documents and identify criminals and known or suspected terrorists.”

Read more
The compact Dell XPS 13 is on sale for one of the lowest prices we’ve seen
Dell XPS 13 9345 front view showing display and keyboard.

The Dell XPS 13 used to go on sale all the time, and was often included in some of the best laptop deals. That hasn’t happened for a bit. However, today we spotted the Dell XPS 13 with Snapdragon X Elite processor at a huge discount. Usually, it's $1,300, but right now you can buy it for $1,000 saving you $200. Ideal for anyone who desires excellent style and form, this Dell XPS 13 makes for a solid last-minute purchase before the holidays. It's also extra compact and portable while still being suitably powerful for work and school. Here’s all you need to know about it before you tap the buy button below.

Why you should buy the Dell XPS 13
Our Dell XPS 13 review explains all you need to know about the system in-depth. Simply put, it provides excellent build quality, it’s thin and light, has great battery life, and provides exceptional performance too. We really love the compact and lightweight design that serves the portable nature well. You can take it and use it virtually anywhere. That makes it so great for school, work, or some productive tasks.

Read more
Best laptop deals: Save on the Dell XPS 14, MacBook Pro 16 and more
The Dell XPS 14 on a white table with the screen open.

There are a lot of great laptop options out there, especially with some of the best laptop brands out there starting to branch out beyond what they are usually known for. That means that you can snag anything from an excellent 2-in-1 to a gaming laptop while still finding excellent deals. Of course, you don't need the best laptops to get something that's pretty great quality and can even compete with desktop computers, so if you want something budget-oriented, you're in luck.
That's why we've gone out and collected these deals from the best brands; you'll find HP laptop deals, Dell laptop deals, Acer laptop deals, Lenovo laptop deals, and more. They run the gamut from Chromebook deals and 2-in-1 laptop deals to powerful gaming laptop deals and everything in between.

HP Chromebook 14a -- $220 $320 31% off

Read more