On Wednesday, researchers revealed serious flaws in modern processors that could affect practically every Intel computer released in the last two decades -- and the AMD and Arm chips in your laptops, tablets and phones, too. Read more here. The good news: Intel, AMD and Arm believe they can fix -- or at least mitigate -- the so-called Meltdown and Spectre flaws with software patches, and Microsoft, Apple and Google have already released some of those mitigations. (AMD says some of the flaws don't affect its processors at all.) But as usual, you'll need to be diligent about applying those patches yourself! So here's everything we know as of Jan. 4 about how to protect yourself. (We'll be updating this guide as new fixes become available.) Android phones According to Google, a new security update dated Jan. 5 will include "mitigations" to help protect your phone, and future updates will include more such fixes. If you've got a Google-branded phone, such as a Nexus 5X or Nexus 6P, there's not a lot you need to do -- at some point your phone should automatically download the update, and you'll simply need to install it. With the Pixel ($654.49 at Amazon.com) and Pixel 2 ($649.99 at Best Buy) (and their XL varients) it's even easier -- it'll automatically install, too. Theoretically, the same goes for other Android phones, but many manufacturers and cellular carriers can be a little slow to patch. You may want to poke your phone's manufacturer and cellular carrier (particularly in public places) to ensure they update in a timely fashion. Squeaky wheels get the grease. We'll update this story as manufacturers commit to updates. Also, see instructions for the Google Chrome web browser on Android below.
