Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08/24/intel_centrino_update_glitch/
Intel Wi-Fi update ate my CPU cycles
Memory leak glitch
Posted in Security, 24th August 2006 12:58 GMT
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Security researchers have identified performance problems with a recent wireless driver security update from Intel. Vulnerabilities in Centrino device drivers for Windows and Intel's PROSet management software prompted a security update three weeks ago.
The initial update weighed in at more than 100MB, though Intel did produce a slimmed-down update (http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/archive-082006.html#00000947) soon after. The current driver release for the 2915ABG/2200BG wireless cards is 9.0.4.17.
Unfortunately, software installed (S24EvMON.exe) with this Wi-Fi driver is leaky, consuming considerable CPU and memory resources and thereby hitting on the performance of PCs with the software installed, researchers at net security firm F-Secure have discovered (http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/archive-082006.html#00000954).
The firm used Process Explorer from Sysinternals to identify the source of performance problems it began to notice. Intel is aware of the issue and is working on a revised fix.
Although the performance hit is undesirable, leaving systems unpatched is even more of a problem. The SANS Institute has put together an advisory (http://isc.sans.org/diary.php?date=2006-08-24), more suited to sys admins and the technically knowledgeable, which outlines performance loss mitigation strategies. ®