Quick question about Spectre

[Arbiter051]

I hope this is the right place, I am sorry if it isn't.

I have the latest updates and I am (hopefully) not affected by meltdown any longer to some degree.

With spectre though, I use a 4790 non k and i have a msi z97 sli krait edition MB and for me, msi isn't going to roll out updates for this MB sadly.

Is there a way to know if I have the spectre virus? Also if I ever do get it, can you remove it? Or do you have to change both you cpu and MB?

I ask these questions because I have seen no one talk about them yet and I have been wondering if maybe someone knows some information I have yet to find. I have been researching these vulnerabilities since the day they came to light, but have yet to find answers to my specific questions.

Thank you all.

 

[Arbiter051]

The exploit doesn't need to reside on your system drive. It can be easily embedded within JavaScript from a compromised website.

Ah alright. How would one get rid of the malware if that happened? Or is it even possible to get rid of it?

Would you even be able to tell that you have spectre on your computer? From everything I’ve read, it seems the answer is no.

Spectre and Meltdown are not viruses, they are vulnerabilities. They are basically bugs that can be taken advantage of by viruses and malware to grab information while the processor is processing it. If you get a virus that takes advantage of Spectre, you will most likely be able to remove it with Malwarebytes or an antivirus. You would not have to replace your CPU and motherboard. It is VERY unlikely that malware taking advantage of Spectre or Meltdown will be able to reside in the CPU or motherboard. I'd say it's impossible, but chances are someday someone will find a way to infect CPUs and mobos.

Thank you very much for that reply. Makes feel a little less scared