When is disabling Intel spectre/meltdown kernel level mitigation a good option?












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I am running ubuntu 64-bit 18.04 (upgraded from 16.04) on a HP 2170p laptop that houses an Intel® Core™ i5-3427U CPU (specs here: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/64903/intel-core-i5-3427u-processor-3m-cache-up-to-2-80-ghz.html). I am also running this system with the most recent BIOS v.71 Rev.A issued Aug 22, 2018, and with Intel microcode version 3.20180807a.0ubuntu0.18.04.1.



Looking at these specs I see the i5-3427u is listed with a lithopgraphy of 22 nm. According to the Intel pages here (see impacted intel platform sections at the bottom of each respective page):
1) https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/side-channel-variants-1-2-3.html
2) https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/side-channel-variants-3a-4.html
3) https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/l1tf.html



this 3rd-gen i5 is NOT impacted, while those versions with lithographies of 45 nm and 32 nm are.



As a result, I have added these boot options to grub: nospectre_v2 nopti nospec_store_bypass_disable; thereby disabling all mitigations for spectre v2 and v4, and meltdown (according to information here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SecurityTeam/KnowledgeBase/SpectreAndMeltdown/MitigationControls)



As a result, my system is much snappier, and I would like to leave these Ubuntu kernel level mitigations disabled, since as far as i understand it, I don't actually need them.



I think I have done enough homework, but I am not confident in this topic, and ask for answers from the community. My main concern is if I have missed something and am making a mistake by disabling these spectre/meltdown mitigations? Or is one safe to do this if by all accounts it appears their intel chip is not affected?










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    I am running ubuntu 64-bit 18.04 (upgraded from 16.04) on a HP 2170p laptop that houses an Intel® Core™ i5-3427U CPU (specs here: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/64903/intel-core-i5-3427u-processor-3m-cache-up-to-2-80-ghz.html). I am also running this system with the most recent BIOS v.71 Rev.A issued Aug 22, 2018, and with Intel microcode version 3.20180807a.0ubuntu0.18.04.1.



    Looking at these specs I see the i5-3427u is listed with a lithopgraphy of 22 nm. According to the Intel pages here (see impacted intel platform sections at the bottom of each respective page):
    1) https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/side-channel-variants-1-2-3.html
    2) https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/side-channel-variants-3a-4.html
    3) https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/l1tf.html



    this 3rd-gen i5 is NOT impacted, while those versions with lithographies of 45 nm and 32 nm are.



    As a result, I have added these boot options to grub: nospectre_v2 nopti nospec_store_bypass_disable; thereby disabling all mitigations for spectre v2 and v4, and meltdown (according to information here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SecurityTeam/KnowledgeBase/SpectreAndMeltdown/MitigationControls)



    As a result, my system is much snappier, and I would like to leave these Ubuntu kernel level mitigations disabled, since as far as i understand it, I don't actually need them.



    I think I have done enough homework, but I am not confident in this topic, and ask for answers from the community. My main concern is if I have missed something and am making a mistake by disabling these spectre/meltdown mitigations? Or is one safe to do this if by all accounts it appears their intel chip is not affected?










    share|improve this question

























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      I am running ubuntu 64-bit 18.04 (upgraded from 16.04) on a HP 2170p laptop that houses an Intel® Core™ i5-3427U CPU (specs here: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/64903/intel-core-i5-3427u-processor-3m-cache-up-to-2-80-ghz.html). I am also running this system with the most recent BIOS v.71 Rev.A issued Aug 22, 2018, and with Intel microcode version 3.20180807a.0ubuntu0.18.04.1.



      Looking at these specs I see the i5-3427u is listed with a lithopgraphy of 22 nm. According to the Intel pages here (see impacted intel platform sections at the bottom of each respective page):
      1) https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/side-channel-variants-1-2-3.html
      2) https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/side-channel-variants-3a-4.html
      3) https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/l1tf.html



      this 3rd-gen i5 is NOT impacted, while those versions with lithographies of 45 nm and 32 nm are.



      As a result, I have added these boot options to grub: nospectre_v2 nopti nospec_store_bypass_disable; thereby disabling all mitigations for spectre v2 and v4, and meltdown (according to information here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SecurityTeam/KnowledgeBase/SpectreAndMeltdown/MitigationControls)



      As a result, my system is much snappier, and I would like to leave these Ubuntu kernel level mitigations disabled, since as far as i understand it, I don't actually need them.



      I think I have done enough homework, but I am not confident in this topic, and ask for answers from the community. My main concern is if I have missed something and am making a mistake by disabling these spectre/meltdown mitigations? Or is one safe to do this if by all accounts it appears their intel chip is not affected?










      share|improve this question













      I am running ubuntu 64-bit 18.04 (upgraded from 16.04) on a HP 2170p laptop that houses an Intel® Core™ i5-3427U CPU (specs here: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/64903/intel-core-i5-3427u-processor-3m-cache-up-to-2-80-ghz.html). I am also running this system with the most recent BIOS v.71 Rev.A issued Aug 22, 2018, and with Intel microcode version 3.20180807a.0ubuntu0.18.04.1.



      Looking at these specs I see the i5-3427u is listed with a lithopgraphy of 22 nm. According to the Intel pages here (see impacted intel platform sections at the bottom of each respective page):
      1) https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/side-channel-variants-1-2-3.html
      2) https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/side-channel-variants-3a-4.html
      3) https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/l1tf.html



      this 3rd-gen i5 is NOT impacted, while those versions with lithographies of 45 nm and 32 nm are.



      As a result, I have added these boot options to grub: nospectre_v2 nopti nospec_store_bypass_disable; thereby disabling all mitigations for spectre v2 and v4, and meltdown (according to information here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SecurityTeam/KnowledgeBase/SpectreAndMeltdown/MitigationControls)



      As a result, my system is much snappier, and I would like to leave these Ubuntu kernel level mitigations disabled, since as far as i understand it, I don't actually need them.



      I think I have done enough homework, but I am not confident in this topic, and ask for answers from the community. My main concern is if I have missed something and am making a mistake by disabling these spectre/meltdown mitigations? Or is one safe to do this if by all accounts it appears their intel chip is not affected?







      18.04 kernel






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      asked Dec 21 '18 at 7:09









      GWD72GWD72

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