A severe vulnerability (
CVE-2024-3094) has been discovered in XZ Utils (5.6.0 or 5.6.1), a commonly used compression format. The vulnerability allows attackers to gain root access through SSH. XZ Utils is used in many Linux distributions; it is also available for Windows and has been incorporated into many other programs. Attackers can install programs, manipulate data, or create new accounts with full root privileges. While there are no reports of exploits in the wild, the potential impact is profound, and most Linux distributions have issued warnings. In this post, you will learn how to determine if your systems are affected and what to do if they are.