Cybersecurity

Update your software today. Seriously.

Chances are you own a smartphone or computer that contains a chip hackers could potentially exploit to get access to sensitive information.

That’s because billions of devices are affected by two major security flaws revealed by cybersecurity researchers on Wednesday.

The flaws — dubbed Meltdown and Spectre — affect processing chips made by Intel, AMD and ARM Holdings. That means if you use a desktop, laptop, smartphone or cloud service from Apple, Google, Amazon or Microsoft you might be vulnerable.

Related: Apple says all Macs and iOS devices affected by chip flaws

Don’t panic. Here’s what you should do.

1. Update your software!

Spectre is the main threat because it is present in billions of devices. Meltdown appears to affect only Intel chips.

The U.S. government-funded Software Engineering Institute initially said vulnerable chips may eventually have to be replaced altogether. It subsequently updated its guidance to say that software updates can provide a partial fix for now.

“Because chip replacements are not going to happen tomorrow, realistically, software is being updated,” Sitaram Chamarty, a security researcher at Tata Consultancy Services, told CNNMoney.

Chamarty says that while Spectre may be tougher to combat, the threat from Meltdown can be mitigated through the software updates.