[kwlug-disc] Meltdown and computer sales

[Khalid Baheyeldin]

Remember that Meltdown is a LOCAL exploit.
That means that someone is able to execute unauthorized code on your machine.

On desktops and dedicated servers, this is less of a concern, since it
is game over already if someone is able to execute code locally.

On virtualized machines, this is a big concern. Data can be leaked by
other instances active on the same physical server. So companies
operating virtual servers are concerned about this.

AMD's vulnerability (Spectre) is less severe than Meltdown, and their
latest generation of CPUs caught up to Intel in terms of performance
and cost as well.

I will consider them in future purchases.