Re:CPU Usage Differences After Applying Meltdown Patch at Ep...
by em3rgent0rdr on Monday January 08, 2018 @11:13PM
(#16103546)
Regarding branch predictor spoiling, if AMD doesn't update the branch predictor based off evaluation of branches the occurred along a speculative path, then the Spectre exploit (from my understanding that it trains the branch predictor using speculative code) won't be able to work.
AMD claims that they believe that the way their branch predictor works effectively makes the BTB poisoning unusable, but there is no actual proof, and their statement regarding it was much more wishy-washy than they were with meltdown. (Which they specifically state they are completely immune to.)