Red Hat is warning {that a} vulnerability in XZ Utils, the XZ format compression utility included in lots of Linux distributions is a backdoor. Users ought to both downgrade the utility to a safer model or disable ssh completely in order that the backdoor can’t be exploited.
The code injection vulnerability (CVE-2024-3094), injects code into the authentication course of that permits malicious actor to achieve distant entry to the system. Red Hat stated in its advisory to “PLEASE IMMEDIATELY STOP USAGE OF ANY FEDORA RAWHIDE INSTANCES for work or private exercise” — emphasis theirs — till the corporate reverted its xz model to five.4.x and gave the all-clear. The flaw has been assigned a CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) rating of 10.0.
The flaw is current in xz variations 5.6.0 (launched Feb. 24) and 5.6.1 (launched March 9). The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) suggested builders and customers to downgrade XZ Utils to an earlier, uncompromised model, akin to XZ Utils 5.4.6 Stable.
Here’s the right way to inform if the system is operating the affected model:
xz –version
If the output says xz (XZ UTils) 5.6.1 or liblzma 5.6.1, then customers ought to both apply the replace for his or her distribution (if out there), downgrade xz, or disable ssh in the meanwhile.
While the difficulty primarily impacts Linux distributions, there are experiences that some variations of MacOS could also be operating the compromised packages. If that’s the case, operating brew improve on the Mac ought to downgrade xz from 5.6.0 to five.4.6.
Which Linux Distros Are Affected?
While severe, the impression could also be restricted. The problematic code is within the newer variations of xz/liblzma, so it is probably not as extensively deployed. Linux distributions that haven’t but launched the newer variations are much less prone to be affected.
Red Hat: Vulnerable packages are current in Fedora 41 and Fedora Rawhide. No variations of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) are affected. Red Hat says customers ought to instantly cease utilizing the affected variations till the corporate has had an opportunity to vary the xz model.
SUSE: An replace is out there for openSUSE (Tumbleweed or MicroOS).
Debian Linux: No steady variations of the distribution are affected, however compromised packages have been a part of the testing, unstable, and experimental variations. Users ought to replace xz-utils.
Kali Linux: If techniques have been up to date between March 26 and March 29, then customers ought to replace once more to get the repair. If Kali’s final replace was earlier than the twenty sixth, it isn’t affected by this backdoor.
This checklist can be up to date as different distributions present data.