Install Intel Processor Patch for Meltdown & Spectre in Ubuntu

Last updated: January 12, 2018

Heard about Meltdown and Spectre, two severe hardware bugs that affect billions of devices?

Besides updating the Ubuntu Kernel via “Software Updater”, Intel has released an update processor microcode patch for Linux based operating systems to address the security vulnerabilities.

The patch has been made into Ubuntu repository. So FOLLOWING STEPS IS NOT REQUIRED any more!

Just update your system via Software Updater. Then launch Software & Updates -> Additional Drivers, and mark the line “Using Processor microcode firmware for Intel CPUs from intel-microcode” for installation if it’s not used.

1. Download the Intel Processor patch from the link below:

Intel Processor Micorcode Data File (.tgz)

Extract the file and you’ll get a new file folder with microcode.dat and intel-ucode directory.

2. To install the patch, open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for “terminal” from application launcher. When it opens, run command:

sudo cp -r ~/Downloads/microcode-*/intel-ucode /lib/firmware/

Then run:

sudo -i && echo 1 > /sys/devices/system/cpu/microcode/reload

Finally you need to reboot your machine to apply changes.

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I'm a freelance blogger who started using Ubuntu in 2007 and wishes to share my experiences and some useful tips with Ubuntu beginners and lovers. Please comment to let me know if the tutorial is outdated! And, notify me if you find any typo/grammar/language mistakes. English is not my native language. Contact me via [email protected] Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/ubuntuhandbook1 |