Meltdown Update For 32-Bit Versions Windows 7 and 8.1

Microsoft released two months after the unveiling of the Spectre and Meltdown attacks , which should protect users of the 32-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 against Meltdown. In addition, Intel microcode updates for various Intel processors have been rolled out.

At the beginning of January, the software giant already released security updates for the 64-bit versions of Windows. A Meltdown update for the 32-bit versions of Windows 10 followed on 18 January. Microsoft now announced that security updates for the 32-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 have also been made available to protect users from the Meltdown attack.

To be fully protected against Spectre and Meltdown attacks, systems require both software and firmware (microcode) updates, Microsoft said. That is why in early March it started to offer microcode updates from Intel via the Microsoft Update Catalog . Initially, it concerned updates for systems that have a Skylake processor and run the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. Now, Microsoft has also made updates for Kaby Lake and Coffee Lake processors on the same platform.