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Glite Dictionary
👻 A ghost 😨 A haunting fear 💻 A computer threat
specter

specter

3 9.9
A security bug in computer chips that lets attackers read private data
  • noun
  • /ˈspɛktər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : vulnerabilidad Spectre
  • This was in part because the Commission's authority and expertise in the area was buttressed by its experience as a privacy regulator, and in part because data security concerns presented a greater specter of consumer harm—hackers are scary—than mundane privacy cases.

So, aside from using a Raspberry Pi, what can we all do about Spectre and Meltdown?

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Examples

  • Cybersecurity experts are warns us about the specter of attacks that could exploit processor errors to retrieve personal information.

  • So, aside from using a Raspberry Pi, what can we all do about Spectre and Meltdown?

    ExplainingComputers

  • According to pacmanattack.com, the exploit isn't currently being used in the wild like Spectre, which the MIT team based its research on.

  • In the face of Google's apparent inability to hide online piracy from its users, the search engine faces the specter of legislation forcing it to do so.

    Blog text (15)

  • The discovery of the specter vulnerability raised concerns about the potential for hackers to access sensitive data.

  • Developers are racing to fix gaps in their software to prevent the specter of exploitation by malicious actors.

Compounds

specter of doubt
  • US
7.7

A strong, worrying feeling that you are not sure you can trust someone or something

Surface Forms

specter singular
specters plural
spectres plural
spectre singular

Etymology

The word specter is used in computing as a picture borrowed from the root spec- ('to look') and spectrum ('an appearance'): researchers used the name to show that secret data can unexpectedly 'appear' from a computer's memory. A helpful way to remember this is to think of the bug as a ghost that makes hidden information show up like a specter.