Behind the Scenes of the XZ vuln with Andres Freund and Thomas Roccia

On this week's episode of The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, Sherrod DeGrippo is joined by Thomas Roccia and Andres Freund. Andres stumbled upon a security issue within SSH while investigating performance discrepancies. He discovered a sophisticated backdoor, skillfully concealed within the LZMA library, part of the XZ package. Sherrod, Thomas, and Andres discuss the importance of proactive security measures and code review in the open-source community. They emphasize the critical role of community collaboration in identifying and mitigating security threats effectively and signal the need for heightened vigilance.  

In this episode you’ll learn:      

• The importance of proactive security and code review in the open-source community 
• Why anomalies in software behavior should prompt curiosity and investigation 
• Open-source community cooperation is vital for spotting and addressing security risks  

Some questions we ask:     

• Could you explain the security issue you found in SSH and its significance? 
• How serious is this threat, and what steps can organizations take to defend against it? 
• What advice do you have for open-source contributors? 

Resources:  

View Andres Freund on LinkedIn  

View Thomas Roccia on LinkedIn     

View Sherrod DeGrippo on LinkedIn  

Related Microsoft Podcasts:                   

• Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson 
• The BlueHat Podcast 
• Uncovering Hidden Risks     

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts  

Get the latest threat intelligence insights and guidance at Microsoft Security Insider 

The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.