A serious bug in computer chips could expose hundreds of millions of people's personal data to security breaches from hackers.
Experts from Google highlighted flaws in chips made by Intel, AMD and ARM which are used widely in devices.
The breach is feared to allow malicious programmes to access computers’ ‘kernel’ memory. All computers with Intel chips from the last 10 years could be affected, with about 80 per cent of new PCs and 90 per cent of laptops carrying Intel processors.
And a security update used to prevent passwords being stolen could lead to a reduction in performance by up to 30 per cent, experts warned. Intel says the average computer user won't experience significant slowdowns as it's fixed.
Both Intel and Google said they were planning to disclose the issue next week when fixes will be available, but the bug was reported on Wednesday by tech news site The Register.
There is no evidence the breach has yet been exploited, according to the UK's National Cyber Security Centre.
Google says it also affects other processors and the devices and operating systems running them.
Although Intel cited rival AMD as among the companies it's working with to address the problem, AMD said in a statement that it believes its chips are safe because they use different designs.
ARM said it had already shared patches with customers to fix the problem, and said it thought there was “zero risk” to customers at this time.
Intel added that it would be incorrect to say the flaw is only present in its devices.
"Many types of computing device - with many different vendors' processors and operating systems - are susceptible to these exploits."
Google has published a blog post detailing what customers may need to do to address any potential problem.
Apple is working on updates for its computers, according to the BBC.
