Backdoor found in widely used Linux utility breaks encrypted SSH connections
arstechnica.comMalicious code planted in xz Utils has been circulating for more than a month.
TL;DR there was a backdoor found in the XZ program. All major distros have been updated but it is recommended that you do a fresh install on systems that are exposed to the internet and that had the bad version of the program. Only upstream distros were affected.
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For those on Android running Termux, it is also affected. Just checked my version of xz-utils and it was 5.6.1. Running “pkg upgrade” will roll back to version 5.4.5 (tagged as “5.6.1+really5.4.5” for both liblzma and xz-utils packages).
So if I am seeing this I am good?
Yeah, that’s what mine “upgraded” to. All that update does is rollback to 5.4.5.
Makes you wonder why Termux ships the latest stuff. It might be smart to allow more time for critical problems to get caught.
Probably for the exact same reason this backdoor was introduced. Users complain about slow feature rollouts so (unpaid) devs (maintaining software in their spare time out of the kindness of their hearts) cut corners. In some situations that looks like bringing on a second maintainer without thorough vetting, in others it looks like importing upstream packages without thorough vetting.
Don’t blame the Termux devs here, blame the community that keeps pushing them to move faster.
Just makes you wonder what else (if anything) is backdoored. I am seriously 🤏 this close to just switching all of my boxes over to OpenBSD.
The last time someone over there was approached about backdooring a related piece of software (which they refused), the OpenBSD devs manually screened the entire codebase, just in case something got in.
Really, the only things I’d miss would be Minecraft, KDE, and Mullvad Browser; and of course I’d have to buy a couple more WiFi dongles (or learn how to port drivers from Linux).
removed by mod
I honestly think BSD has the potential to be worse due lack of people. I think the best option is to not be paranoid as a user. If someone needs to be paranoid it is the maintainers.
Yeah, just never be a dissident, or a whistleblower, or an activist, or a member of a vulnerable marginalized group. Remember, if you obey there’s no reason to fear being spied on.
I really don’t think you understand how serious this kind of backdoor is. It puts certain people in real danger.
These people do not seem to be affected unless they run Arch for some reason.
That’s only the case because it was caught fast. That was lucky.
Most definitely
And I don’t think you understand OPs point. Of course you should be paranoid as a person like that, but most users aren’t targets. If you, as a regular user, get this paranoid about using computers, maybe you should evaluate your priorities.
“Regular user” seems to be a strange counter to all the people I just listed that would be affected here. I’m not worried about myself, I’m worried about the people whose privacy and security is extremely important in this context.
This was basically a lucky catch. Sadly makes you wonder how many backdoors like that have not been found (yet). Never the less the distro model of not feeding in upstream binaries directly is an important part of the multi-barrier security.
One still could hide something in source code. I think we need to just be more security aware in general. Having source code isn’t useful if someone deliberately put a security hole in it
Catching this now is pretty huge, because it mainly targets distro build systems. Had this gone undetected, we’d be in shiznit creek couple of years down the line.
Meanwhile non SystemD systems like NetBSD FreeBSD OpenBSD are safer.
That is not really true. If anything they would be easier to infiltrate
You can have a nefarious developer working for a nation state infiltrate the supply chain for ANY OS.
You don’t know.
Agreed
What’s Wayland support for the BSDs like?
https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/wayland/
What does this have to do with systemd? Aren’t they safer in this situation because they aren’t using the beta xz release?
My systems running Debian stable with systemd also aren’t affected…
This particular backdoor affects sshd on systems that use libsystemd for logging.
your Debian system is probably not affected because Debian stable doesn’t update packages very quickly. You’re probably on an older release of the backdoored package.
Nope, Debian uses a version from before the backdoor
The reason openssh links liblzma in the first place is to enable a systemd feature, so naturally “systemd bad, it’s proximity to a security issue is yet more proof that a pile of shell scripts in a trenchcoat is a superior init system” etc
Don’t tell me how to live my life, Ars Technica.
Ars Technica sounds like a weirdo to me these days. Loves to attack big techs (although understandable), now adds this to their description of Arch.
I am not deep enough in it, but from the arch-announce mailinglist:
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/03/29/4
“stable” release of Arch?
yes, like my marriage
They mean a variant you use in a stable, like to run an automatic feeder for horses. According to Ars Technica, however, you are not to use it in your production stable.
Yeah, screw em. I use mine to produce lots of stuff.
I try to avoid producing too much manure though.
I think lots of IT people have an extremely limited experience of what it is to produce something.
I mean if opening a ssh hole to the whole world to fuck with is an important part of what they consider “production” - well I’m not really into those types of websites.
You should not run Arch in production. Boom, I said it
Well I don’t see any cops.
Hmmm. Are you white?
This is what I look like:
If I pray to you will I be able to get my printer to work?
There are some things that not even a god has the power to do.
Made out of Empty cups
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Researchers have found a malicious backdoor in a compression tool that made its way into widely used Linux distributions, including those from Red Hat and Debian.
An update the following day included a malicious install script that injected itself into functions used by sshd, the binary file that makes SSH work.
So-called GIT code available in repositories aren’t affected, although they do contain second-stage artifacts allowing the injection during the build time.
In the event the obfuscated code introduced on February 23 is present, the artifacts in the GIT version allow the backdoor to operate.
“This could break build scripts and test pipelines that expect specific output from Valgrind in order to pass,” the person warned, from an account that was created the same day.
The malicious versions, researchers said, intentionally interfere with authentication performed by SSH, a commonly used protocol for connecting remotely to systems.
The original article contains 810 words, the summary contains 146 words. Saved 82%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!