Question 'Intel vs AMD Processor Security: Who Makes the Safest CPUs?' - Tom's

[UsandThem]

https://www.tomshardware.com/features/intel-amd-most-secure-processors

Spoiler

It’s also going to take the two companies years to fix the flaws the researchers found with new architecture designs. In the end, it should all be for the better as it will force processors to become more mature.

But the question remains, who makes the most secure processors right now that keep you the safest online? We can debate about whether or not researchers took a better look at Intel’s flaws because its chips are much more popular, but at the end of the day a few things are undeniable:

Even ignoring all the various performance slowdowns the Spectre-related patches have caused for both old and new systems alike, AMD’s processors seem like the safer and more secure platform to choose in the near and medium-term.

I think this is a very good article that talks about the current security vulnerabilities for both camps, and what to expect going forward with upcoming designs.

 

[Arkaign]

As always, the best security is focused on the user first, even a theoretically hack-proof system is SOL if you make any manner of dumb mistake, or even any trusted middleware gets owned and lets someone in.

With 25+ years in the industry, virtually every breach I've seen personally has been someone getting phished or HUMINT exploitation. It's a pet peeve how the media plays along with this as well. I am no Apple fan AT ALL, but the coverage of the celebrity pics being leaked was not a 'hack', or even an iOS bug. It was bad corporate policy that let criminals pretend to be the users and gain access to their iCloud externally.

All of these CPU 'vulnerabilities', especially the ones focusing on speculative execution, are incredibly tedious, slow, and impractical in terms of getting much data out in any reasonable manner. To boot, you also need to have the code running locally and not detected as malware/etc. You're about a million times more vulnerable using a restaurant or hotel WiFi hotspot, or someone's $2000 intercept MITM LTE tower spoof, than any of these 'vulnerabilities'.

Academics vs practical reality in full effect.

 

[JimKiler]

https://www.tomshardware.com/features/intel-amd-most-secure-processors
I think this is a very good article that talks about the current security vulnerabilities for both camps, and what to expect going forward with upcoming designs.

Thanks for adding the consensus, that seems correct that long term both have issues but short term it is Intel who is not as secure. I would read it but i cannot stand Tom's redesign for mobile device look so unless i am bored and on my phone i don't go there anymore.

 

[UsandThem]

Thanks for adding the consensus, that seems correct that long term both have issues but short term it is Intel who is not as secure. I would read it but i cannot stand Tom's redesign for mobile device look so unless i am bored and on my phone i don't go there anymore.

I'm not a big fan of the same auto-loading videos there on every single page of reviews, but they at least seem to be publishing a lot more articles/content/reviews than Anandtech for whatever reason. Are you listening Future plc? Is there anybody out there?

 

[Markfw]

I seems that short and mid term AMD has much better security. 15:1 for the number of security flaws in AMD to Intel ? No comparison. The future (I would say 2021 and forward) could be interesting. Intel keeps loosing speed due to mitigations, while AMD does not to speak of. So when both are hardware mitigated ? and both are on 7nm or better ? I think things will get much closer in terms of performance.

But like I say, the next 2 years or so will probably be all AMD for security, and performance will get even closer, if not AMD ahead (Ryzen 4000 series chips)