Kernel articles

Newly disclosed "Dirty Frag" vulnerability left Linux exposed for nearly a decade

Facepalm: The open-source community is once again facing a major security incident tied to an "unprecedented" vulnerability. The new flaw could give attackers a reliable way to escalate user privileges, and no patch is available yet. Fortunately, the mitigation process is relatively straightforward. Still, kernel developers are already growing frustrated with the seemingly endless stream of critical bugs.

Fortnite escalates anti-cheat by mandating Secure Boot, TPM, and IOMMU

Microsoft's new gaming anti-cheat could ping your PC to the cloud every time you boot

Apple's latest ad pokes fun at the Windows CrowdStrike BSOD disaster

Winners & losers: Apple's new eight-minute ad takes a thinly veiled jab at last year's CrowdStrike meltdown – the software update that crashed Windows systems running critical infrastructure around the world. Beyond the humor, the short film highlights the differences between how Windows and macOS secure their kernels, which was the root cause behind last year's incident.

Steam beta helps players prep for games requiring Secure Boot or TPM

Study uncovers dark market making millions from video game cheats

The big picture: Researchers from the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick in the United Kingdom estimate that roughly 80 websites selling cheats for online video games generate between $12 million and $73 million annually. Although some cheats can bypass robust (and often unpopular) anti-cheating software, these tend to be more expensive.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will require TPM 2.0 and Windows Secure Boot

The Windows kernel is about to receive a security-focused redesign after CrowdStrike crash

Why it matters: The kernel space is the core component of a computer operating system, where critical hardware management and device driver code reside in memory. If a kernel-level driver malfunctions, the entire OS can behave erratically – or simply crash and burn with a BSOD. Microsoft has stated that it is working on a significant change to the Windows architecture to help prevent another large-scale incident like the one involving CrowdStrike a year ago.

Windows Defender misidentifies key driver, disrupting popular PC monitoring tools

Microsoft plans to move security software out of the Windows kernel

Microsoft is working on tighter security measures for Windows after the CrowdStrike disaster

A hot potato: While still working with CrowdStrike to bring millions of botched PCs back online, Microsoft is also thinking about the future of Windows. The platform must evolve and innovate, enhancing resilience against the next faulty update coming from a third-party company.

Microsoft blames EU agreement for CrowdStrike disaster, releases USB recovery tool

Linux Kernel hits version 6.10, introduces new features and hardware support

FIFA 23 and other EA titles will come with controversial "kernel-mode" anti-cheat software

In context: Nothing can ruin a multiplayer game faster than rampant cheating, so it's no surprise that developers go to great lengths to devise ways to mitigate it. One controversial method is to install kernel-mode drivers that monitor for anything that tries to tamper with the game's software. However, many players are not comfortable with granting such low-level privileges.

Hackers are using Genshin Impact's anti-cheat software in ransomware to kill antivirus processes

Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone will receive kernel-level anti-cheat tech this year

Kali Linux 2018.2 introduces new 4.15 kernel

Massive security flaw found in Intel CPUs, patch could hit performance by up to 30%

Vulnerabilities found in Qualcomm chips could leave 900 million Android devices open to attack

Critical Windows USB exploit allows flash drives to grant root access, patch issued

Samsung creates flash-friendly, open source file system: F2FS