14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has rolled out another Meltdown and Spectre update, this time aimed at devices running Windows 10 Mobile, and which are also believed to be affected by the two CPU flaws.
KB4073117 pushes Windows 10 Mobile version number to 15254.158 and comes with a rather cryptic change log, as Microsoft says in the release notes that “this build includes all the improvements from KB4056891.”
In its turn, KB4056891 is an update addressed to PCs running the Windows 10 Creators Update, and according to its official change log, it comes with security updates for a number of operating system applications or components. Microsoft doesn’t specifically mention Meltdown and Spectre, but KB4056891 is the cumulative update that the company released a few days ago to address these two hardware vulnerabilities on Creators Update PCs.
Creators Update security update
Microsoft says in the change log of cumulative update KB4056891 that security fixes were the main focus in this release:
“Security updates to Internet Explorer, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Microsoft Edge, Windows Graphics, Windows Kernel, Windows Subsystem for Linux, and the Windows SMB Server,” the change log reads.
Shipping the contents of the Creators Update patch to Windows 10 Mobile devices as well makes sense mostly because Windows phones have never received the Fall Creators Update (version 1709), so despite receiving some minor improvements this fall, technically they are still on the spring 2017 update.
It goes without saying that Windows 10 Mobile users should install this update as soon as possible, as it addresses critical vulnerabilities that would allow attackers to steal passwords and access sensitive data.
Microsoft has also published security updates for all its Surface devices, and dedicated patches are also available for each Windows 10 version released so far.
The majority of device manufacturers whose CPUs were affected by the Meltdown and Spectre security flaws have published security fixes as well, and everyone should download and install them quickly, especially given how much attention these vulnerabilities are getting online these days.