Spectre and Meltdown are now a legal pain for Intel — the chip maker faces 35 lawsuits over the attacks

The Spectre and Meltdown attacks were a public relations nightmare for Intel. Now they've become a legal headache as well.

The chip making giant, its board members, and executives face 35 lawsuits related to the attacks, the company disclosed in its annual report on Friday. Because the suits are in their early stages, Intel said it couldn't determine how much they could potentially cost it.

"We dispute the claims ... and intend to defend the lawsuits vigorously," the company said in its annual report.

A company representative declined to comment on the lawsuits.

Security researchers disclosed the Spectre and Meltdown attacks last month. Taking advantage of a particular feature found in nearly all computer processors, the attacks could allow a malicious actor to view secret data stored on PCs, tablets, and smartphones, including users' passwords. In recent weeks, chip makers, device manufacturers, and operating system vendors have been scrambling to patch their devices and software to protect them from the vulnerabilities.

The attacks were actually discovered in June, and Intel was made aware of them soon thereafter. The vulnerability the attacks exploit has been present in nearly all Intel chips made over the last 20 years. And, unlike chips made by other manufacturers, Intel's processors are vulnerable to both Spectre and Meltdown.

Source :- businessinsider