‘Zombieland’ exploit affects Intel chips dating back to 2011

Security researchers have found a new class of vulnerabilities in Intel chips which, if exploited, can be used to steal sensitive information directly from processors dating back to 2011, reports TechCrunch.

Dubbed “Zombieland,” it’s a side-channel attack targeting Intel chips, allowing hackers to effectively exploit design flaws rather than injecting malicious code. Intel said ZombieLoad is made up of four bugs.

Although no attacks have been publicly reported, the researchers couldn’t rule them out nor would any attack necessarily leave a trace, according to TechCrunch. But most of us don’t have to worry.

Apple’s ARM chips aren’t affected. And Apple has addressed at least some of the problems in yesterday’s macOS 10.14.5 update. Those using older versions of the operating system should download and install the latest security updates.