It is always possible. The point is that while open source software doesn’t solve this problem, it gives you a non-zero chance of someone detecting it and raising the alarm. Non-zero may be large or may be small, it is probably never 100% chance, but large non-zero is very good, and even small non-zero it is much better than the 0% detection chance that closed source offers.
Comment on How no-techy/"common" people know if a Open Source code is secure?
maxihuenu@lemmy.ml 1 week agoyeah i use floss software for that too! but maybe somethere is a malicious code hidden by a very good programmer (or a group of these) in critical software…
cecilkorik@lemmy.ca 1 week ago
maxihuenu@lemmy.ml 1 week ago
Sorry but i dont understand what do you mean with “non-zero”
adespoton@lemmy.ca 1 week ago
For a good case study: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XZ_Utils_backdoor
If this had been closed source, the attacker would not have been able to use the technique to commit the changes in the first place.
However, if they HAD snuck the changes in, nobody would have caught them, and only the developer would have been able to identify something was wrong before full deployment.
But we should all assume that while the xz trojan never made it out, others likely have, both in open and closed source.
InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 1 week ago
No need for speculation we have such a real equivalent.
The SolarWinds Cyberattack Explained: Hack, Victims, and Key Facts
Both are supply chain attacks and the proprietary world let it go farther. They both highlight vulnerabilities. There are going to be small and important FOSS projects that have burnt out maintainers, and possibly few eyes on. In principal someone should be getting paid to keep things safe in closed land, but security is a cost center and an easy cut for the MBAs in charge of things.