Red Hat issued an urgent security alert for users of XZ Utils, a widely used data compression tool, due to malicious code found in versions 5.6.0 and 5.6.1. This vulnerability, identified as CVE-2024-3094, could potentially allow unauthorized access to systems, particularly affecting certain Fedora Linux distributions. Users of Fedora 41 and Fedora Rawhide are strongly advised to cease usage and downgrade to a safer version of XZ Utils. The compromised code specifically targets sshd authentication, posing a significant risk for remote unauthorized system access. Red Hat confirmed that no versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux are impacted, but the issue extends to Debian unstable (Sid) and potentially other distributions. Debian developers have acknowledged the presence of compromised packages in their testing, unstable, and experimental distributions, urging users to update their XZ Utils packages. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has also responded, recommending users to downgrade to an uncompromised version of XZ Utils and to remain vigilant for any malicious activity.
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