{"id":84308,"date":"2018-02-07T14:38:04","date_gmt":"2018-02-07T22:38:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/?p=84308"},"modified":"2025-08-13T02:47:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T09:47:25","slug":"meltdown-spectre-potentially-attack-browsers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/meltdown-spectre-potentially-attack-browsers\/","title":{"rendered":"Meltdown and Spectre Aren\u2019t Done Just Yet \u2013 New Malware Uses Exploits to Attack Browsers"},"content":{"rendered":"

We kicked off 2018 with two powerful new exploits: Meltdown and Spectre<\/a>. And since the discovery of Meltdown and Spectre on January 3rd, vendors have been hard at work issuing patches to remedy their nasty side effects \u2013 with the majority supplying fixes within the first week. But, unfortunately, some malware makers have still found ways to leverage<\/a> a handful of these exploits. In fact, according to the AV-Test Institute, there are currently 139 malware samples out in the wild that appear to be related to the recently reported CPU exploits and have been designed to attack web browsers running JavaScript.<\/p>\n

So, why is this still happening? Though\u00a0operating system vendors, chip makers, and browser makers have released patches to mitigate the attacks, that doesn\u2019t exactly mean all systems everywhere have been locked down, especially as new malware strains continue to emerge. In fact, the CVE-2017-5715, CVE-2017-5753, and CVE-2017-5754 exploits are still being abused by cybercriminals, who are leveraging them to potentially attack browsers that support JavaScript and WebAssembly.<\/p>\n

Tips to Secure Your Personal Info<\/h2>\n

What\u2019s more \u2013 if they successfully infiltrate these browsers, cybercriminals can steal passwords and other personal data. So, it\u2019s crucial users are vigilant and take the necessary precautions to secure their personal info while surfing the web. To do just that, follow these tips:<\/p>\n