The Simplest Hack: Hitting The Backspace 28 Times Will Break You Into a Linux Computer

Linux may be the operating system of choice for some computer snobs, but there is apparently one giant flaw in it: you can break into it really, really, really easily. All you have to do is hit the backspace key enough times, something on the order of 28.



Wait, what?

Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai does a pretty good job unpacking this. Essentially, the backspace bug causes the system to bring up a Grub rescue shell. From this shell, hackers have access to all the data on the computer, and can use it to install malware, delete files, or outright steal them. The bug was discovered by two researchers at the Cybersecurity Group at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, and published on the personal site of researcher Hector Marco.

The researchers indicate that the Grub problem affects Linux systems from 2009 to the present date, though older systems may be affected. Already, many major distributions, including Debian and Ubuntu, have released emergency patches to fix the problem. So if you're a Linux user and think you might be affected, either try hitting the backspace key 28 times on the login screen, or just install the patch and don't chance it.

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