Post #2691579
2025-12-02 20:57 UTC
@plumeros@swiss.social @globcoco@mamot.fr @Uddelhexe@mastodon.online
> Who selects the reviewers? It's all in the hands of the closed source manufacturer.
No, that's not how it works. Closed source software still has the compiled code available for review, which is often the best format for finding a subtle backdoor which can be inserted as part of the toolchain or through very subtle approaches. Source code is usually the best form of the code to look for accidental vulnerabilities but a backdoor is a much different thing.
Replies (1)
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@GrapheneOS@grapheneos.social 2025-12-02 20:59
@plumeros@swiss.social @globcoco@mamot.fr @Uddelhexe@mastodon.online Closed source software is not a black box and the code can be reviewed, contrary to common misconceptions. When you're talking about backdoors which can be inserted as part of compiling it, that's often the form which is needed for reviewing it. Even with reproducible builds + open source, the source code can be written in a way which deliberately masks a vulnerability in subtle ways. You're talking about backdoors where it's deliberately done and hidden.