Backdoor in Critical Linux Utility Exposes Risk of Supply Chain Attacks

Microsoft engineer's accidental discovery of a backdoor in XZ Utils highlights the fragility of open-source software security.

A backdoor discovered in XZ Utils, a widely used open-source compression library, could have enabled remote code execution.
The backdoor was introduced through updates to XZ Utils versions 5.6.0 and 5.6.1, targeting Linux distributions like Fedora, Debian, and Ubuntu.
Microsoft engineer Andres Freund uncovered the backdoor by chance while investigating a performance issue in SSH logins.
The discovery highlights the vulnerability of open-source software to sophisticated supply chain attacks.
Security researchers are concerned about the potential for undiscovered backdoors and the need for better security practices in open-source projects.