Aspire R14 - R3-471T - no Meltdown/Spectre BIOS updates?

Hello...

As of today, Acer still hasn't put out a BIOS update for Meltdown/Spectre for the Aspire R3-471T (Intel i7-5500U Broadwell). This processor is definitely affected by Meltdown/Spectre and a BIOS update is overdue. (I do recognize that Windows 10 includes Intel's microcode fixes, but this is an incomplete fix without the BIOS fix). However, Acer's page on the subject ( https://us.answers.acer.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/53104/~/meltdown-and-spectre-security-vulnerabilities ) still doesn't even mention the R3-471T, and the product support page for this model does not contain an updated BIOS.

This is highly overdue since Intel finalized the microcode fixes for Broadwell almost 6 months ago. If Acer is making a business decision to not update this model (e.g. not profitable enough) that will impact my decision-making in whether to ever buy another Acer-branded product again.

Unfortunately, the Acer Community is the only forum to bring up this reality of the missing fix for this model, since all support is out-of-warranty and requires paid support to continue...

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JackE

>>>This processor is definitely affected by Meltdown/Spectre and a BIOS update is overdue. >>>

Do you mean you can actually tell your processor has been affected? What are its symptoms? Jack E/NJ

mzadony

It's very simple... Intel's Microcode Guidance document ( https://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/sa00115-microcode-update-guidance.pdf ) specifically mentions the Broadwell-based i7-5500U (page 5), which this model contains. BIOS/UEFI version v1.12, the current version, was released in 2016, long before Spectre / Meltdown.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/zp/e8km5gkruzdk.png

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/oh/4gn8e2yuhgsx.png

JackE

Yes, but what are the symptoms on your machine that you feel it has been affected by Spectre-Meltdown? What problems are you having due the the Spectre-Meltdown infection/vulnerability? Jack E/NJ

mzadony

I'm confused why that matters. As of now, Acer doesn't have a BIOS-level fix available, despite Intel having put out the final microcode fix for this processor ~6 months ago.

Your question is the same as asking me if having a dead battery in my smoke detector impacts me negatively. It doesn't impact me negatively, until it's too late...

And let's not forget that if I was running Windows 8.1 (which this machine came with), there would be no OS-level microcode fixes.

JackE

I think it's been an over-hyped and mostly speculative vulnerability. Probabilities are so low for most users that it's more like having an inoperable asteroid or meteorite detector. Intel still hasn't issued final microcodes on the latest SMV speculations and probably won't any time soon. Some of the BIOS patches that've already been prematurely released have caused unintended side effects that slow machines down to an unsuable crawl. The questionable remedies have essentially killed the patient. Jack E/NJ

mzadony

You're absolutely right in that Intel, and therefore PC manufacturers, will be playing catch-up with these vulnerabilities for years to come. That being said, Acer is hyper-overdue to get a BIOS update out for at least "the first 3" (CVE-2017-5754, CVE-2017-5753, CVE-2017-5715) such vulnerabilities. And the stability issues with Intel's microcode updates were resolved months ago and there's been no updates to Intel's guidance document (linked to above) since early-August.

Regardless, I'm owed a BIOS update... At this stage, I have no reason to believe that Acer is even planning on releasing one for this model, and that will impact which brands I consider in future buying decisions.

JackE

>>> I'm owed a BIOS update... At this stage, I have no reason to believe that Acer is even planning on releasing one for this model, and that will impact which brands I consider in future buying decisions.>>>

Seems fair enough. Jack E/NJ