Saint Plundervolt, Who Robbed With Voltage

Patron of repentant overclockers, SGX enclaves, and processors that miscount when they are tired.

Life

Revealed in December 2019 by researchers from Birmingham, Leuven and Graz, he showed that privileged software could quietly lower the processor's voltage through an interface meant for saving power. Running short of juice, the multiplications inside SGX enclaves began to go wrong, and from those little mistakes AES and RSA keys could be rebuilt. Intel answered by taking the knob away from everyone.

Prayer

O Saint Plundervolt, who makes the most secret sums go wrong with a whisper less voltage, grant our processors the power they need. Amen.

How to celebrate

Celebrated by installing the BIOS and microcode that block undervolting, and reluctantly giving up a few degrees of cooler running.

Less voltage, more damage.