Meltdown

Meltdown is a security vulnerability in some computer processors that allows malicious programs to access sensitive data stored in the memory of other programs or the operating system. It exploits a flaw in how modern CPUs optimize performance, bypassing normal security boundaries. This can potentially expose passwords, files, or other private information. Patch updates and security fixes have been issued to mitigate the risk, but Meltdown illustrates how hardware design flaws can threaten data security at a fundamental level.