Last year, Google informed Intel that nearly every chip it has made since 1995 has a security flaw, leaving nearly every computer device vulnerable to hacking. As ZDNet explains:
Two critical vulnerabilities found in Intel chips can let an attacker steal data from the memory of running apps, such as data from password managers, browsers, emails, and photos and documents.
The researchers who discovered the vulnerabilities, dubbed "Meltdown" and "Spectre," said that "almost every system," since 1995, including computers and phones, is affected by the bug. The researchers verified their findings on Intel chips dating back to 2011, and released their own proof-of-concept code to allow users to test their machines.
The information has been known to Intel for a while before it was announced this week, which isn’t entirely out of the ordinary. It’s normal for the public announcement of security flaws to be delayed so experts have time to try and fix it. Unfortunately, Business Insider discovered that Intel’s CEO Brian Krzanich may have used that to his advantage.
Intel's CEO saw a $24 million windfall November 29 through a combination of selling shares he owned outright and exercising stock options.
The stock sale raised eyebrows when it was disclosed, primarily because it left Krzanich with just 250,000 shares of Intel stock — the minimum the company requires him to hold under his employment agreement.
But the sell-off could draw even more scrutiny now, given the news about the security vulnerability and the timing of when Intel knew about it.
Unsurprisingly, Intel’s stock prices have taken a beating since the announcement of the security flaw. It’s hard to not believe that Krzanich wanted to act quickly and make as much money possible before his stocks decreased in value significantly.