I think the specification has a problem if a conformant implementation has a problem, particularly if it's a security one. There should be as little as possible

I think the specification has a problem if a conformant implementation has a problem, particularly if it's a security one. There should be as little as possible left free to the implementors. The KRACK attack from a couple months ago it's due to the fact the WPA2 specification was ambiguous about what values to accept. Most implementations allowed decrypting traffic and a few even hosts impersonating other hosts but they were perfectly conformant. I would say there is a flaw in the WPA2 specification. There are always going to be unintended consequences but this one about effects of branch prediction seems, ironically, quite predictable.