The XZ Backdoor and a 40 Year Old Prediction
summary
Compares the XZ backdoor — a hidden payload that is invisible in source and relies on social engineering — to Ken Thompson’s 1984 compiler exploit that injects a login backdoor during compilation. Describes the concrete mechanism: compiler-bootstrap insertion that produces a two-layer persistent backdoor, the extension into hardware or manufacturing PLs, and that the pattern both explains XZ’s stealth and that only one other blog post makes the same comparison.
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