New Spectre-v2 BTR Attack Leaks Linux Memory Despite Existing Defenses

Academics from VUSec and Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna disclosed a new Spectre CPU vulnerability variant, Branch Target Reuse (BTR), affecting JIT engines in web browsers, language runtimes, and OS kernels across multiple CPU vendors. The attack bypasses existing defenses, leaking memory contents. Details were published, with implications for major browser and kernel security.