Researchers from the Netherlands and Italy have identified a new Spectre-v2 class attack. Unlike the original method, this approach utilizes Branch Target Reuse, leveraging JIT compilers to manipulate branch prediction systems. The attack was successfully demonstrated using the cBPF JIT compiler in the Linux kernel, allowing for the extraction of sensitive data, such as hashed passwords, from the processor cache.
The attack was tested on various modern processors, including models from AMD, Intel, and ARM architectures. While full execution was achieved with cBPF, experiments with SpiderMonkey and GraalVM showed only partial results. The process of extracting secret information from a Linux su process took an average of 3 to 5 minutes.
In other security developments, Debian released patches for the Linux kernel addressing over 1,300 vulnerabilities. Critical flaws were also identified in TeamViewer software and Dell Container Storage Modules, with the latter including two vulnerabilities rated 10 on the CVSS scale. Additionally, Apple released updates for iOS and macOS to fix a zero-day vulnerability in Core Graphics.
Google has officially terminated its open-source vulnerability reward program. The company cited an overwhelming influx of automated reports generated by AI assistants as the primary reason for the closure.
