In recent weeks there has been some publicity relating to two computer vulnerabilities, known as Spectre and Meltdown. These vulnerabilities relate to computer processor hardware, and almost all modern computers, as well as tablets and smart phones are vulnerable. Further details can be found at https://meltdownattack.com / https://spectreattack.com
The vulnerabilities, if not mitigated, can allow sensitive data on processor chips to be read. The three big bugs in Intel, AMD and ARM chips could let malware or other intruders steal data from the core of the operating system (for Intel-based systems) or from other applications (for all devices). Despite the breadth of the issue, none of these vulnerabilities are known to have been exploited in the wild.
Infoxchange, like all online software vendors, are affected by this. We have taken this issue very seriously and began remediating the situation immediately. Due to the fundamental nature of this issue, these vulnerabilities affect all aspects of both our own business operation, and the online applications we provide. This includes our staff laptops, the servers we run our online applications on, and even our networking switches, firewalls, and similar infrastructure.
Globally, software and hardware vendors are releasing firmware and operating system patches to address the vulnerabilities. There has been some reports in the media that these patches may effect computer performance. The reports from other organisations is that it may be barely noticeable for some, while others have noticed large performance decreases. Infoxchange / our applications may be subject to a performance hit as the various workarounds for Meltdown (where the majority of performance impact may occur) and Spectre become available and are applied.
At Infoxchange, we began applying relevant patches as they became available. This is a large task given the size of our technical operations and systems platform. We have taken a risk based prioritisation of this, and have first focussed on perimeter and web facing devices/servers. We are also currently in the process of completing patching business staff Windows laptops, as Microsoft rolls our these patches. To date, Infoxchange engineers have not noticed any material performance impact in our networking and server environments. This situation may change as the cumulative effect of patching all components involved in the provision of our online applications is felt. As part of our general technical operations, we continually monitor and scale our hosting environment to meet the performance requirements of both newly on-boarded and existing customers. To mitigate potential performance impacts from the Meltdown and Spectre patches, we are bringing forward several hardware upgrades.
Rest assured that we will endeavour to offset any localised performance degradation from these patches, with an increase in processing capacity available to any affected applications – in short, we will attempt to mitigate any material performance decreases in our online applications, and we will continue to ensure they are as secure as possible.