Two New Computer Bugs at Large

By Dondre Lemon
Assistant News Editor

On Jan. 10, the I.T. department sent an email to the LIU Post community regarding two security vulnerabilities: Meltdown and Spectre. These bugs allow hackers to steal memory from commonly used computers and smartphones.

According to the New York Times, the program, Meltdown, can be fixed. However, “the software patch needed to fix the issue could slow down computers by as much as 30 percent — an ugly situation for people used to fast downloads from their favorite online services.”

There is no easy fix for Spectre, according to the New York Times. The easiest way to remove the spectre bug would be to redesign the processors.

Members of the I.T. department assured students that they are taking the necessary steps to keep their privacy protected. According to the email sent at the beginning of the semester, “Information Technology has already installed software to help mitigate these vulnerabilities on all LIU-owned computers and devices, as well as servers across the University.”

Albert Donor, a senior broadcasting major and Browse associate, was unaware of the bugs. Donor has not been keeping up with updates to his phone and computer, however, he will make an effort to keeping his software up to date. “I have seen the school keeping track of the computers. In the computer graphics lab, they hired a tech to wipe computers every night,” he said.

Ashley Damis, a sophomore broadcasting major, does not use the computers for personal use. “I’ve seen multiple students not logged out of personal information and worry what if I forget, someone can use my social media or something worse,” she said.

George Baroudi, LIU’s Vice President for Information Technology, did not respond to the Pioneer’s request for information about the security vulnerabilities.

In the email, they advise the community to “keep your software up-to-date. This includes your operating system (Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, and Android), your browser (Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari), and your browser plug-ins.”