# The hack that almost broke the internet : Planet Money

Source: https://www.npr.org/2024/05/17/1197959102/open-source-xz-hack
Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/The-hack-that-almost-broke-the-internet-Planet-Money?index=0x664f71ca1de7f3d138c10ca4cff9fa34d5ed073991c8169e6de719d5b87feddae18cbc6a
Submitted by cerv1.eth on 2024-05-23 UTC, 1 upvote, 0 comments

## Summary

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.

## Article

The hack that almost broke the internet

Last month, the world narrowly avoided a cyberattack of stunning ambition. The targets were some of the most important computers on the planet. Computers that power the internet. Computers used by banks and airlines and even the military.

What these computers had in common was that they all relied on open source software.

A strange fact about modern life is that most of the computers responsible for it are running open source software. That is, software mostly written by unpaid, sometimes even anonymous volunteers. Some crucial open source programs are managed by just a single overworked programmer. And as the world learned last month, these programs can become attractive targets for hackers.

In this case, the hackers had infiltrated a popular open source program called XZ. Slowly, over the course of two years, they transformed XZ into a secret backdoor. And if they hadn't been caught, they could have taken control of large swaths of the internet.

On today's show, we get the story behind the XZ hack and what made it possible. How the hackers took advantage of the strange way we make modern software. And what that tells us about the economics of one of the most important industries in the world.

This episode was hosted by Jeff Guo and Nick Fountain. It was produced by Emma Peaslee and edited by Jess Jiang. It was engineered by Cena Loffredo and fact checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

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Music: NPR Source Audio - "Strange Tango," "Warped Worlds," and "Detective Dan"