14 DAY TRIAL // CentOS developers released new microcode updates for Intel and AMD processors for the CentOS Linux 7 and 6 operating system series to revert to the previous microcode update.
CentOS Linux is an open-source, free, enterprise-class, and community-supported operating system based on and compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. As such, it regularly receives new important security updates as soon as they are released upstream by Red Hat.
About two weeks ago, CentOS Linux 7 and 6 users received kernel and microcode updates that mitigated the Meltdown and Spectre security vulnerabilities unearthed earlier this month. However, after some thorough testing, Red Hat discovered that these updated microcode firmware developed by Intel and AMD caused hardware issues.
As a result, Red Hat released on January 17, 2018, another microcode update that reverts to the last known good microcode version released before the one from January 3, 2018. These new updates are now available for CentOS Linux 7 and 6 users as well, and Red Hat strongly recommends users to apply them and install the latest microcode updates from their hardware providers instead.
"This update supersedes microcode provided by Red Hat with the CVE-2017-5715 (“Spectre”) CPU branch injection vulnerability mitigation," reads the security advisory. "Further testing has uncovered problems with the microcode provided along with the “Spectre” mitigation that could lead to system instabilities."
Users are urged to update their systems immediately
All CentOS Linux 7 and 6 users are urged to update their installations to microcode_ctl-1.17-25.4.el6_9.i686.rpm or microcode_ctl-1.17-25.4.el6_9.x86_64.rpm on CentOS Linux 6 32-bit or 64-bit systems, as well as to microcode_ctl-2.1-22.5.el7_4.x86_64.rpm on 64-bit CentOS Linux 7 installations. You will have to reboot your computer after installing the new microcode updates.
Along with the new microcode firmware, CentOS Linux 7 users also received an important linux-firmware security update containing all of the files necessary for various devices to operate. Red Hat also urged Intel Skylake, Broadwell, and Haswell users to immediately obtain and install the latest microcode firmware version from their hardware vendor.