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Join us today for Ars Live: How Asahi Linux ports open software to Apple’s hardware

One of the key differences between Apple's Macs and the iPhone and iPad is that the Mac can still boot and run non-Apple operating systems. This is a feature that Apple specifically built for the Mac, one of many features meant to ease the transition from Intel's chips to Apple's own silicon.

The problem, at least at first, was that alternate operating systems like Windows and Linux didn't work natively with Apple's hardware, not least because of missing drivers for basic things like USB ports, GPUs, and power management. Enter the Asahi Linux project, a community-driven effort to make open-source software run on Apple's hardware.

In just a few years, the team has taken Linux on Apple Silicon from "basically bootable" to "plays native Windows games and sounds great doing it." And the team's ultimate goal is to contribute enough code upstream that you no longer need a Linux distribution just for Apple Silicon Macs.

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Β© Apple/Asahi Linux

Code found online exploits LogoFAIL to install Bootkitty Linux backdoor

Researchers have discovered malicious code circulating in the wild that hijacks the earliest stage boot process of Linux devices by exploiting a year-old firmware vulnerability when it remains unpatched on affected models.

The critical vulnerability is one of a constellation of exploitable flaws discovered last year and given the name LogoFAIL. These exploits are able to override an industry-standard defense known as Secure Boot and execute malicious firmware early in the boot process. Until now, there were no public indications that LogoFAIL exploits were circulating in the wild.

The discovery of code downloaded from an Internet-connected web server changes all that. While there are no indications the public exploit is actively being used, it is reliable and polished enough to be production-ready and could pose a threat in the real world in the coming weeks or months. Both the LogoFAIL vulnerabilities and the exploit found on-line were discovered by Binarly, a firm that helps customers identify and secure vulnerable firmware.

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