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WCCO AM 830 with Cory Hepola, Tuesday, May 5, 2021; Attempted Poisoned Linux Kernel Updates

I know most people don’t know the difference between a computer kernel and corn kernel. But this is a big deal because Linux is behind everything that powers our planet.

Linux is open source, people around the world contribute to it, and an army of unsung volunteer heroes keeps it all straight.

In the wake of the Solarwinds attack, University of Minnesota researchers purposely submitted poisoned Linux kernel updates to test the community response. They found out – the open source system worked – but they destroyed their trust in the process.

Compare how the open source community dealt with bad updates vs. what happened with SolarWinds. The two word summary for people who don’t do technology for a living – transparency wins.

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