From Ben Pearson
You be already aware but the computer world is once again under threat from vulnerabilities that exist in our computers. The latest threats go by the catchy names ‘Meltdown’ and ‘Spectre’ and affect the actual physical chips that sit on our computing devices, rather than the software that is normally under attack.
The UK Government’s National Cyber Security Centre has issued advice and the page for home users is https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/home-user-guidance-manage-processor-vulnerabilities-meltdown-and-spectre. I’d suggest you read it and make sure that your home computers are as safe as they can be. Note: ALL brands of computers and phones are included including Apple and Linux, those not normally under attack. It is also likely that smart devices like Alexa might be included (but I don’t know for sure), smart TVs and devices your children might use like Raspberry PIs as they all use the same chips.
Step Teachers would like to recommend to teachers and schools to take extra precautions when it comes to protecting their devices.
