Government, health services at risk from Intel chip weakness

Members of clinical staff work at computers in the Accident and Emergency department of the 'Royal Albert Edward Infirmary' in Wigan, north west England on April 2, 2015. British Prime Minister David Cameron kicked off his re-election campaign Saturday, March 28, 2015, for May's tight poll by echoing his main rival with a new promise to improve the state-run National Health Service (NHS). Polling by Ipsos MORI indicates that the NHS, which provides across-the-board care for Britons and is mostly free, is the most important issue for voters. AFP PHOTO / OLI SCARFF

Highly regulated sectors, such as government offices and public health institutions, are most at risk of compromise as a result of the security flaw present in modern microprocessors from Intel Corp, Advanced Micro Devices Inc and other manufacturers, according to security experts. 

Widespread use of old computers and legacy components means software-based fixes being developed by companies like Microsoft Corp may slow down already-aging systems.