danny lin on Engineering

The xz backdoor is, well, setting a fire under the entire Linux ecosystem... but I'm also so impressed with how it was set up: 2-yr maintainership, oss-fuzz, etc. ...and who knows how long it would've stayed undetected if the injected sshd code ran faster (<600ms) Highlights:

11K likes68 repliesPosted Mar 30, 2024

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Viral score

Based on absolute engagement — the platform doesn’t expose follower counts here, so large accounts score higher.

From likes, comments.

Why it worked

Opens with a short, self-contained line that is easy to take in at a glance.
Follows a clear Hook → Context → Landing shape, so the reader always knows where they are.
Ends on a short line that is easy to quote and repeat.
The opening line stands alone, so it reads completely before the post is expanded.
Written from experience rather than as advice, which is harder to argue with.
Short enough to read in full without expanding, which removes a step before the point lands.

The mechanics

Hook: Plain observation
Structure: Hook → Context → Landing
Style: Conversational paragraphs at a steady pace.
Tone: personal, punchy
Written for: Engineers and technical teams

Analysis by ViralLoop — not written by the original author.

Topics

Engineering

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