A Linux patch suggests that Intel engineers plan to implement a feature that tags your system as vulnerable if you're running outdated microcodes, (via Phoronix). This comes in light of the recent Intel 13th Generation and 14th Generation degradation fiasco, which is now pushing Team Blue towards a class action lawsuit.
The patch argues that you cannot run a system with old microcode and consider it safe. Microcode is basically a set of instructions in the CPU that can be updated post-launch to fix critical flaws and security vulnerabilities. The patch proposes that users should be informed clearly and concisely that their PC is potentially unsafe - marking the system as vulnerable or not vulnerable. The author calls to report this vulnerability in "/sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/old_microcode", so that a single file can be used to prompt the user to update their microcode.
