Today's news continues to be dominated by the Meltdown and Spectre bugs. Contrary to early reports, essentially all platforms are affected, not just those running on Intel processors. Most major vendors, including Microsoft, Intel, and Google, have fixes out, and others, including Apple, will release theirs soon. These can be expected to exhibit the usual fraction of unintended and unexpected consequences: Microsoft's Windows 10 update, for example, is reported to interfere with the functioning of some (not all) anti-virus products. The fixes will also generally have the effect of slowing down many processes. Individual and business Internet users will probably see this manifested in the cloud services they use.
In November Intel's CEO, Brian Krzanich, sold the maximum number of shares permitted under company bylaws. This was after Intel was notified of Meltdown and Spectre, but before the vulnerabilities were publicly disclosed. Intel says this was a mere coincidence, as indeed it may well be, but the industry press (notably TechCrunch and Ars Technica) is taking note.
India's Aadhaar national biometric identification database is said to have been breached, with access to its data for sale on the Dark Web for under $10. Aadhaar has had its security issues before, but this latest appears close to a complete compromise, affecting more than a billion people.
The cryptocurrency mania continues, as observers goggle in disbelief at the more bullish projections. Criminals are also affected by the speculative market in Bitcoin: rapid appreciation and volatility are driving them to alternative alt currencies.