Recently, chip vendors were rocked by security revelations about their processors, by which malicious actors could gain information directly from data currently being processed.
It appears that Intel, ARM, and AMD chips were all impacted, and since the Xbox One family is powered by AMD's Jaguar, you might have been wondering if your console was vulnerable. Thankfully, it appears that isn't the case.
Speaking on Twitter, Xbox Platform lead Mike Ybarra noted that the Xbox One's security structure already prevents attacks from the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities.
FYI: The security architecture of Xbox already mitigates against the recent chip-related security vulnerabilities. #Xbox
— Mike Ybarra (@XboxQwik) January 5, 2018
While its encouraging to see that Xbox is unaffected, the widespread ramifications for other types of devices, from PCs, to phones, and web servers, have yet to be fully measured. Microsoft issued its own emergency patch to Windows 10 just yesterday, but it could be a while before the issues are fully ironed out across the world. And there's that whole issue of Intel's CEO selling off a load of stock just before the revelations, oh dear. It's all quite the drama.
If you want to learn more about the issues, hit the links below. In the meanwhile, know that at least your Xbox and (fully updated) Windows 10 PC are probably safe.