The hack that almost broke the internet : Planet Money

A podcast episode from Planet Money describes the XZ hack, in which hackers infiltrated a popular open source program called XZ and, over two years, turned it into a secret backdoor. The article says the scheme was caught before it could take control of large swaths of the internet, and that it targeted computers that power the internet and are used by banks, airlines and the military. It also says many critical systems rely on open source software mostly written by unpaid, sometimes anonymous volunteers, and that some crucial programs are managed by a single overworked programmer. The episode examines how the hackers exploited this way of making software and what it reveals about the economics of the industry.