Intel is redesigning its chips in order to to combat Spectre and Meltdown attacks, also known as Project Zero Variant 1, 2, and 3.
The company said variant 1 will continue to be addressed via software mitigations while parts of the processor have been redesigned to introduce new levels of protection through partitioning that will protect against variants 2 and 3, according to a March 16 Intel news release.
The hardware update will essentially create virtual fences to protect the operating systems and the data from speculative execution attacks that will prohibit an attacker from intercepting information.
The updates will be made in the firm's next generation Xeon Scalable processors (code-named Cascade Lake) as well as 8th Generation Intel Core processors that are expected to ship in the second half of 2018.
“As we bring these new products to market, ensuring that they deliver the performance improvements people expect from us is critical,” Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said in the release. “Our goal is to offer not only the best performance, but also the best secure performance.”
