Security News > 2021 > June > Do you want speed or security as expected? Spectre CPU defenses can cripple performance on Linux in tests

The mitigations applied to exorcise Spectre, the family of data-leaking processor vulnerabilities, from computers hinders performance enough that disabling protection for the sake of speed may be preferable for some.

"Before Spectre mitigations, those system calls hardly slowed down userspace execution at all."

The performance consequences of the various software and hardware mitigations vary significantly, depending on what you're running.

Asked whether he felt the commonly cited figures downplay the possible consequences of Spectre mitigations, and defenses for its Meltdown cousin, O'Callahan suggested the commonly cited figures should be viewed skeptically.

Results of this sort underscore why some people prefer to optimize for speed at the expense of security by offering guidance on how to disable mitigations.

O'Callahan advises caution for those thinking about dropping Spectre and Meltdown defenses.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/06/22/spectre_linux_performance_test_analysis/