July 26, 2024 at 10:16AM
Academic researcher Daniel Gruss emphasizes that chip vulnerabilities like Spectre and Meltdown could have been resolved earlier if chip makers took reports more seriously. He and Intel’s Anders Fogh are addressing past and future vulnerabilities at Black Hat USA 2024, highlighting the collaboration between researchers and chip makers to counter vulnerabilities. Gruss also sees an increasing focus on exploring security bugs in GPUs and anticipates new threats in the realm of confidential computing.
From the meeting notes, it is clear that there are ongoing discussions around chip vulnerabilities and the collaboration between academic researchers and chip makers in addressing these issues. The notes highlight the history of chip vulnerabilities such as Spectre and Meltdown, the challenges posed by increasing complexity in chip designs and emerging technologies, and the evolving focus on security issues in GPUs and confidential computing.
The meeting also emphasized the importance of communication between researchers and chip makers, with examples of past challenges in getting chip makers to take reports from academics more seriously and the current shift towards improved collaboration and responsiveness from companies like Intel.
The future potential for side-channel attacks, particularly in the realm of AI and confidential computing, was also discussed, with an emphasis on the increasing complexity and potential impact of such attacks.
In conclusion, the meeting provided valuable insights into the history of chip vulnerabilities, the current state of collaboration between academics and chip makers, and the future challenges and focus areas in the field of chip security. The discussions underscore the need for ongoing vigilance and collaboration to address the evolving threat landscape in the semiconductor industry.