Many cybersecurity exploits have been deemed The One Ring To Rule Them All, but that moniker is rarely as true as a literal bit that disables the memory mapping on some AMD CPUs, granting access to normally inaccessible areas. With just one instruction, you can access off-limits software like Platform Security Processor (PSP) where the fTPM runs, the System Management Mode (SMM), microcode patch RAM, and other various sundries â in other words, full hardware-level control.The exploit is called Skitter Creek Bath Salts (Skitter), and wasâŚ
By ckasprzak | TkOut
| August 14, 2026 | CPU, Hardware
The Hot Take: Well now.
Researchers from Germanyâs Helmholtz Center for Information Security have found processors made by Chinaâs Loongson have leaky caches that attackers could use to seek specific data. Loongson has developed its own LoongArch instruction set architecture (ISA) that blends approaches used by MIPS and RISC-V. On a site called LoongLeakAttack.com, the researchers explain that they found the leaky cache using a fuzzer, then noticed that the LoongArch ISA manual mentions an instruction that leaves 32 bits of a memory register in an âuncertainâ state.âŚ
Intel is signaling a broader push into next-generation memory technologies, with CEO Lip-Bu Tan revealing that the company is exploring new memory architectures after hiring former SK Hynix CEO Lee Seok-Hee.
The Hot Take: Firefox is my daily driver for sure.
Microsoft Edge will soon drop support for Manifest Version 2 (MV2), which means uBlock Origin will stop working in the browser. But Windows 11 users still have some browsing options that will support uBlock Origin and other MV2 extensions.The Firefox account on X shared a simple message in response to an article about Edge ending support for certain extensions: "Firefox support for uBlock Origin is not going anywhere."Brave shared a longer message, which emphasized that "Brave will keep supporting uBlock Origin" and that Brave hosts uBlockâŚ
The Hot Take: We need a memory manufacture that won't price fix.
Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan has revealed that new memory architectures â once thought a commodity business â are now strategically interesting and one of his pet projects, while speaking about the comeback of the American chip industry. He further noted that the memory industry is ripe for innovation, and also hinted at exploring ways to stack memory on top of a CPU. Go deeper with TH Premium: Memory(Image credit: SK Hynix)AI data centers are swallowing the world's memory and storage supplyThe future of DRAM: From DDR5 to future ICsHigh-bandwidthâŚ
The Hot Take: Filling capacity across the globe it appears. GOOD.
Intel is a hive of activity these days, so much so that it's now apparently rushing to fill its heretofore empty clean rooms while aggressively expanding capacity even in a location with relatively lower subsidies/tax credits and a much higher quantum of embedded geopolitical risk - Fab 38 in Israel. Hoffman Construction has updated its Fab 38 page to disclose 2026 as the wrap-up year of its contractual obligations, while a new Intel job vacancy for the Kiryat-Gat Site Master Planner has also opened up Back in July 2025, Intel had paused theâŚ
Microsoft is backing down on OneDrive Photos, and youâll soon be able to remove it without also removing the OneDrive sync client. That means you wonât have to risk breaking synced files, folders, or shortcuts on Windows 11 if you donât want OneDrive Photos but still use the OneDrive sync client that you may have set up when you got your PC.
On or around August 1, Microsoft quietly added OneDrive Photos to thousands of PCs running Windows 11. OneDrive Photos itself is harmless, but most users dislike the idea of apps getting installed whenâŚ
The Hot Take: Warranties going out the window because of greed?
Micron used to produce some of the best RAM available to mainstream users through its Crucial brand. Despite the company's exit from the consumer market through its now-defunct Crucial brand, Micron had pledged to continue honoring warranties on existing Crucial products. A recent case on Reddit, however, highlights ongoing challenges with Micron's warranty process, where it reportedly offered a customer a ludicrous payout for an RMA. Only after further communication did Micron provide an improved offer. Another user also chimed in with aâŚ
The Hot Take: Need to get those private details of everyone's life....
Microsoft told Windows Latest that it accidentally shipped the AI-powered OneDrive Photos app on Windows 11 more broadly than it should have, which explains why enterprise PCs where the app doesnât even work now have to deal with it.
Iâm told that Microsoft is going to âfix it,â which possibly suggests that the app will be rolled back, but I think itâll stay on most PCs. If you havenât seen the app yet, hereâs what it looks like out of the box (yes, it has access to all your folders by default):
âOneDrive Photosâ isnât exactly newâŚ