Microsoft to issue Surface firmware updates to address Meltdown and Spectre exploits
Surface users are in for a special round of updates in response to the recently disclosed Meltdown and Spectre exploits, Microsoft says.
Microsoft has already issued an emergency update to Windows users in response to the Meltdown and Spectre exploits that were disclosed this week, but the company has now announced dedicated firmware updates for Surface devices as well.
The UEFI updates will be available for the following eight Surface models running the Windows 10 Creators Update or Fall Creators Update, according to Microsoft:
- Surface Pro 3
- Surface Pro 4
- Surface Book
- Surface Studio
- Surface Pro Model 1796
- Surface Laptop
- Surface Pro with LTE Advanced
- Surface Book 2
As for Surface Hub, Microsoft believes that the chances of these vulnerabilities working against it are "significantly reduced" because of its security features. The company says it will continue to monitor threats to Surface Hub and act accordingly, however.
As of this writing, it doesn't appear that the firmware updates are being distributed to everyone over Windows Update. We have, however, been able to secure what appears to be the update with a Surface Book 2 on the Release Preview Insider ring. Insiders in the Fast and Slow rings should be able to grab the update as well. Otherwise, we'd expect the updates to start rolling out for everyone in relatively short order.
For more on Meltdown and Spectre, check out our recent coverage of the disclosure, as well as the latest response from Intel.
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Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl.