Backdoor in XZ Utils allows unauthorized root access

A backdoor was discovered in XZ Utils, a widely used data compression utility on Linux systems. Malicious code in versions 5.6.0 and 5.6.1 allowed unauthorized access with root privileges. The backdoor was part of a sophisticated supply chain attack, with the perpetrator, Jia Tan, infiltrating the project over years. The backdoor enabled the execution of malicious commands through SSH. The incident was described as a nightmare scenario by experts.