Security researchers at Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google Inc. found a security flaw in many chips from Intel Corp., Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and SoftBank Group Corp.'s ARM Holdings PLC, Reuters reported May 21.
Called Speculative Store Bypass or "Variant 4," the flaw is related to the Spectre and Meltdown chip flaws that were discovered in January. The Meltdown and Spectre flaws allowed passwords and other sensitive data on chips to be exposed.
The researchers, however, noted that the web browser patches issued earlier this year have reduced the risks associated with "Variant 4."
In January, Intel acknowledged that it had been made aware of an issue with its chips, which had the potential to improperly gather sensitive data from computing devices. Intel noted that many types of devices "with many different vendors' processors and operating systems" were susceptible.
Apple Inc., Microsoft, Google and other tech companies had then announced plans to address potential vulnerabilities in their products.
