Zack’s Kernel News
Zack’s Kernel News
Chronicler Zack Brown reports on the latest news, views, dilemmas, and developments within the Linux kernel community.
Recently, the kernel.org servers were cracked by attackers who were able to gain root-level access. The attackers then inserted trojan horses into the source releases for certain Linux kernel release candidates (-rc releases). This attack caused a lot of work for the kernel. org system administrators and resulted in a number of discussion threads on the linux-kernel mailing list, considering ways to avoid similar security compromises in the future.
In one thread, Junio C Hamano, the Git maintainer, asked the kernel folks if there were any special Git features they wanted, that might increase the security of a Git archive that involved many contributors (e.g., the Linux kernel). He suggested providing the ability to cryptographically sign all pushes, as well as having Git produce more output on certain types of failure modes. Linus Torvalds replied, saying he liked the idea of increased verbosity; but, about cryptographic signatures, he said:
"I realize that cryptographic signatures sound very important right now, but in the end, *real* trust comes from people, not from signatures. Realistically, I checked a few signatures this time around due to the kernel.org issues, but at the same time, the thing that made me trust most of it was just looking at commits and the email messages. The unconscious and non-cryptographic 'signature' of a person acting like you expect a person to act."
"Technical measures can be subverted, and I think we should also think about the social side. Every time somebody mentions a signature,I want to also mention 'human readability', because I think that matters as much, if not more."
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
News
-
The First Point Release For Ubuntu 22.04 is Now Available
Canonical has released the first point upgrade for Jammy Jellyfish which includes important new toolchains and fixes.
-
Kali Linux 2022.3 Released
From the creators of the most popular penetration testing distributions on the planet, comes a new release with some new tools and a community, real-time chat option.
-
The 14" Pinebook Pro Linux Laptop is Shipping
After a considerable delay, the 14" version of the Pinebook Pro laptop is, once again, available for purchase.
-
OpenMandriva Lx ROME Technical Preview Released
OpenMandriva’s rolling release distribution technical preview has been released for testing purposes and adds some of the latest/greatest software into the mix.
-
Linux Mint 21 is Now Available
The latest iteration of Linux Mint, codenamed Vanessa, has been released with a new upgrade tool and other fantastic features.
-
Firefox Adds Long-Anticipated Feature
Firefox 103 has arrived and it now includes a feature users have long awaited…sort of.
-
System76 Refreshes Their Popular Oryx Pro Laptop with a New CPU
The System76 Oryx Pro laptop has been relaunched with a 12th Gen CPU and more powerful graphics options.
-
Elive Has Released a New Beta
The Elive team is proud to announce the latest beta version (3.8.30) of its Enlightenment-centric Linux distribution.
-
Rocky Linux 9 Has Arrived
The latest iteration of Rocky Linux is now available and includes a host of new features and support for new architecture.
-
Slimbook Executive Linux Ultrabook Upgrading Their CPUs
The Spanish-based company, Slimbook, has made available their next generation Slimbook Executive Linux ultrabooks with a 12th Gen Intel Alder Lake CPU.