Cyber Hardware Flaws Studied

The most frequent cause of malicious cyber attacks is when computer users click on a link that results in malware being downloaded onto computer networks.

But another emerging hardware-based cyber threat is being studied by the Cyber Command and U.S. intelligence community, according to the nominee to head the command and the National Security Agency.

Army Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone, Cybercom and NSA director nominee, told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in written answers that massive hardware vulnerabilities called Spectre and Meltdown are major worries.

“U.S. Cybercom is engaged with the intelligence community, inter-agency and industry to better understand Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities and employ mitigations,” Gen. Nakasone stated.

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