The vulnerabilities that are known as Meltdown (CVE-2017-5754) and Spectre (CVE-2017-5715 /CVE-2017-5753) have been discovered in the central processing unit (CPU) performance feature called speculative execution. Systems with microprocessors using speculative execution and indirect branch prediction may allow unauthorized disclosure of information to an attacker with local user access using a side-channel analysis of the data cache. This could lead to access to sensitive information stored in system memory.
The issue is not specific to any one vendor and takes advantage of techniques that are commonly used in most of the modern processor architectures. This means that a large range of products are affected from desktops and laptops to servers and storage, even smartphones. All customers should verify whether they are affected by going to the support sites of their hardware manufacturer. For Dell computers, affected computers can be found at: Meltdown/Spectre (CVE-2017-5715, CVE-2017-5753, CVE-2017-5754) impact on Dell Products. More information about these vulnerabilities and responses from other vendors, go to https://meltdownattack.com .
In general, there are two essential components that must be applied to mitigate the above mentioned vulnerabilities.
All Dell Data Security customers with affected hardware (Dell or non-Dell in origin) must apply the recommended remediation as outlined by their manufacturer. The Dell Data Security software may help prevent exploits from being successful, but is not a substitute for taking the manufacturer’s recommended steps for remediation.
Not Applicable
Click either the Dell Encryption or Dell Threat Protection tab for specific information about product version compatibility.
Instructions for Dell Encryption customers (Dell Encryption Personal and Enterprise or Dell Data Guardian) are below. Select the appropriate operating system for your environment.
Microsoft January 2018 update release contains a series of updates to help mitigate exploitation by the Meltdown/Spectre vulnerabilities. For more information about Microsoft’s response to Meltdown and Spectre, go to https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4073757 .
Dell Data Security has validated compatibility against the latest set of Microsoft patches from January 2018 with:
EMAgent
) v8.16.1 or laterEMAgent
) v8.16.1 or laterEMAgent
) v18.16.1 or laterEMAgent
) v18.16.1 or laterDell Data Security recommends ensuring your clients are on the validated version or later before applying the January 2018 patches.
For information about downloading the latest software version reference:
If the computer running a Dell Data Security solution also uses a malware prevention software, then Windows requires a registry key to allow updates to pull down automatically for the January 2018 Microsoft updates.
To add the registry key:
Figure 1: (English Only) Select Command Prompt (Admin)
Figure 2: (English Only) Click Yes
reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\QualityCompat /v cadca5fe-87d3-4b96-b7fb-a231484277cc /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
and then press Enter.
Figure 3: (English Only) Type reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\QualityCompat /v cadca5fe-87d3-4b96-b7fb-a231484277cc /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
and then press Enter
Apple has released mitigations to address Meltdown in macOS High Sierra 10.13.2.
More information about this patch can be found at https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208394 .
Dell Data Security validated against macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 with Dell Encryption Enterprise for Mac 8.16.2.8323. This build is available through Dell Data Security ProSupport.
Dell Data Security has validated compatibility against the latest set of Microsoft patches from January 2018 and the fixes that are contained in Apple macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 with:
For more information about product versioning reference:
For information about downloading the latest software reference:
For more information about specific system requirements reference:
Microsoft requires a registry modification to any windows computer running malware prevention software (for example: Dell Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise, Dell Threat Defense, or Dell Endpoint Security Suite Pro) before automatically updating for Meltdown or Spectre.
To add the registry key:
Figure 4: (English Only) Select Command Prompt (Admin)
Figure 5: (English Only) Click Yes
reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\QualityCompat /v cadca5fe-87d3-4b96-b7fb-a231484277cc /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
and then press Enter.
Figure 6: (English Only) Type reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\QualityCompat /v cadca5fe-87d3-4b96-b7fb-a231484277cc /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
and then press Enter
To contact support, reference Dell Data Security International Support Phone Numbers.
Go to TechDirect to generate a technical support request online.
For additional insights and resources, join the Dell Security Community Forum.