Bonum Certa Men Certa

The Biggest Back Doors Giant (Microsoft) Serves Malware to GNU/Linux Machines, Microsoft's Media Partners Blame 'Linux'

Another ongoing FUD pattern: ZDNet Calls Windows Ransomware “Linux” to Keep Pages About Linux Full of Fear-Mongering Nonsense | Kaspersky and Linux are slowly becoming a combustible mix (by Sam Varghese)

'Kaspersky and Linux are slowly becoming a combustible mix' by Sam Varghese



Summary: The ongoing attacks on the credibility of GNU/Linux (when it comes to security) are basically the framing of Windows ransomware as "Linux" and malware served by Microsoft's GitHub as a "Linux" problem

THE media (or real journalism) is dying. It lacks credibility because of its utterly rogue business model. It's not about information but about deflection and perception management. The other day we composed a rebuttal to one new example, as did Sam Varghese a few hours ago (link above).



Remember when Canonical's GitHub account got cracked and the media was quick to blast Ubuntu rather than Microsoft, the actual steward of GitHub, which is proprietary and secretive?

"The other day we composed a rebuttal to one new example, as did Sam Varghese a few hours ago..."Something similar could be observed this past week; we've been mentioning that in passing, especially in our Daily Links; Microsoft's propaganda network ZDNet doesn't like to mention how pretty much everything from Microsoft comes with back doors; instead it's defaming people who have long warned about such back doors.

One person told us this morning (regarding the latest FUD pattern):

"Microsoft blaming its security problems on Linux is nothing new. In the late 1990s they were getting owned continuously and constantly tried to spread the rumor that it was "Linux people" behind it. I've heard variant of that 10 years ago and with the GitHub problems, it seems they are still talking that way."


Microsoft is putting back doors in just about everything, then blaming "Linux" when those back doors are being exploited.

Regarding those back doors, nothing has changed since the Snowden leaks, which revealed PRISM (pioneered by Microsoft and the NSA).

From the The Investigatory Powers (Technical Capability) Regulations 2018 (old but still applicable): "These Regulations set out the obligations which may be contained in a technical capability notice given by the Secretary of State under section 253 of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (c. 25). A technical capability notice imposes obligations on a relevant operator in order to ensure that the operator has the capability to provide assistance in relation to interception warrants, equipment interference warrants, or warrants or authorisations for the obtaining of communications data. A “relevant operator” means a postal operator, a telecommunications operator, or a person who is proposing to become either."

ZDNet latest LinuxAlec Muffett wrote: "Hi, my name's Alec., I used to be a Facebook engineer and I led the team which put End-to-End-Encryption into Facebook Messenger. I had these arguments. Re: "There is no "coercion" of companies on the EU level" - you are surely aware of "Technical Capability Notices" in the UK..." (there's a screenshot there)

Microsoft still has back doors in everything. But somehow that doesn't seem to interest ZDNet and the likes of it.

Boycott Microsoft propaganda networks such as ZDNet. The sad thing is that we noticed that "FOSS" or "Linux" sites linking to such FUD, in effect amplifying the propaganda, perhaps unwittingly. In practical teams, the boycotts will be effective when the links and the traffic stop; those sites really just need to retire, but they're funded by those standing to gain from the misinformation. "They must be subsidised by someone because their business model is unsustainable," one person noted in IRC this morning. "Just like Mozilla, EFF etc."

"Microsoft is actively attacking GNU/Linux with FUD and with 'drugs' (e.g. the openwashing of Visual Studio with the binary blob it calls "Code" -- complete with surveillance)."It should be noted that over the past fortnight or more ZDNet published/pinned only 7 stories in the "Linux" section (usually it's 3 times more). Is the boycott working? No story in 4 days now (the latest one is the FUD from Catalin Cimpanu). See the image to the right (screenshot from minutes ago).

Microsoft is actively attacking GNU/Linux with FUD and with 'drugs' (e.g. the openwashing of Visual Studio with the binary blob it calls "Code" -- complete with surveillance). Don't lose track of who's doing what in this attack.

"As many of you may know, we've actually kind of broadened the product portfolio of Visual Studio, targeting all the way from the low end with students and hobbyists, kind of competitive in that Linux space, making sure that every developer has a copy of .NET and is trained in writing .NET solutions. [...] I think it will really help us in our competition with open source."

--Eric Rudder, Senior Vice President, Microsoft (Financial Analyst Meeting 2005)



Recent Techrights' Posts

XBox Consoles Nearly Dead by Now, the 'XBox' (ex-Box) Brand Now Stands for Something Full of Slop, Spam, Filler, and Chaff
We're seeing the last day (maybe year) of "XBox"
Fake IBM Retirements (IBM Gives Older Workers Ultimatums, Deadlines, and Carrots on Sticks)
As they point out, IBM is desperate to lower costs
 
Links 26/01/2026: Financial Stress in German Farms and Germany Wants to Take Its Gold Reserves Out of the US
Links for the day
Gemini Links 26/01/2026: "Lack of Meaningful Things" and Getting Back to Programming
Links for the day
Strong Correlation Between the Slop Ponzi Scheme (or Bubble) and Major Disasters
BitCoin ruins the planet; so does slop
We Will Never Allow the "Alicante Mafia" to Hide "Cocainegate"
transparency typically scares malicious actors
Fewer Involuntary Interruptions This Year
This year we're doing much better
Prisons Are for Dangerous People Who Pose a Threat to the Public, Not People Who Inform the Public
At the end of the week EPO workers go on strike
Microsoft Loses Grip on Indian Ocean
Many countries, including in older allies of the US (such as Canada and the US), look for ways to get out of Microsoft dependence urgently
The Great "AI" CON Explained by Dr. Andy Farnell
LLMs are basically advertisers of sorts
Links 26/01/2026: "Journalists Detained", in Germany "Unjustly Jailed Man Gets €1.3 Million Compensation"
Links for the day
Red Hat Quietly Going Extinct After Bluewashing in 2026
At this point it would be rather foolish to assume that IBM will let Red Hat just "do its own thing" or maintain its corporate culture, identity, projects etc.
The "Alicante Mafia" - Part XII - Kris De Neef and Roberta Romano-Götsch, Who Stepped in for the Cokehead, Have No Comment on His Cocaine Usage (and the EPO's Cover-up)
Sh-t floats to the top.
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, January 25, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, January 25, 2026
Gemini Links 26/01/2026: Cold Perception, Software Patches in NixOS, and Sunk Cost Fallacy
Links for the day
Linuxiac is Basically a Fake News Site, But It's Being Fed by Google News
Because Google News is run by Google, a slop pusher
Links 25/01/2026: Slop "Tribalism", Nike Apparently Cracked
Links for the day
Claims That PIPs Are Abused for Silent Mass Layoffs at IBM (Without Severance) or Forced Retirements
Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) "clearly bogus as everyone on my team who has been on one has been fired"
WebM Version of Richard Stallman's Latest Talk (Georgia Tech Talk)
The file size is smaller
After Half a Decade Vista 11 is Still a Giant Failure
Don't expect Microsoft to gain a foothold
Details on IBM Layoffs in the EU Last Week, Same Allegedly Coming to the US Shortly
"Around 50 people affected in Belgium."
Technology Trends Driven by DRM Giants, Planned Obsolescence, Not the Needs of the Buyers
The "pushers" think of customers as "users"; and they encourage passivity, Stockholm Syndrome
Links 25/01/2026: Microsoft BitLocker Backdoored for Decades Already, Microsoft-Backed ICE Still Murders Civilians
Links for the day
Gemini Links 25/01/2026: "Expert in a Dying Field" and Global Commands
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, January 24, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, January 24, 2026
After the Slop Bubble
At the end, looking back, we'll all generally understand that the net effort of slop was environmental destruction
IBM CEO Says IBM is Just Reliant on Buzzwords That Are Overhyped
IBM has nothing to show anymore and telling fairytales to shareholders is a temporary 'fix'
The "Alicante Mafia" - Part XI - No Comment From Steve Rowan, Niloofar Simon, and Christoph Ernst About Cocaine Inside EPO
What kind of patent office is this?
Projection of Fanatic From Microsoft
Microsoft Lunduke is pandering to the 4Chan 'crowd'
Digg.com (Digg) is a Censorship Platform, Just Another Social Control Media/Network, Controlled by the Few
We are not going to bother with any social control media
Spam, Slop, and Fake 'Articles' Regarding "Linux"
Serial Sloppers like these are harming real reporting about Linux and GNU
Rape investigation dropped: Will Fowles & ALP transgender deception
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Diversity, Grooming & Debian transgender Zero
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Pauline / Maria / Alice Climent(-Pommeret) & Debian transgender offensive cybersecurity deception
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Did judge with transgender sister & Debian conflict of interest help cover-up a death?
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Giving a Voice to the Community (Even When It's Inconvenient or 'Scary')
Once upon a time we were threatened with deplatforming for merely reposting articles by Daniel Pocock; we no longer have this problem
Links 24/01/2026: CBS News Demolished From the Inside and Many Publishers Admit Layoffs
Links for the day
Gemini Links 24/01/2026: Dreams and Raspberry Pi Zero 2W
Links for the day
Richard Stallman's First Talk in US College Since 2018: Videos and Photos
There are some backstories
Judge Richard Oulevey (Grandcour Choeur, Tribunal Vaud) & Debian shaming abuse victims and witnesses
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Judgment: French army vanquishes German FSFE on Hitler's birthday, Microsoft contract dispute (1716711)
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
EDPB/CNIL privacy expert Amandine Jambert (cryptie, FSFE) implicitly admitted lying about harassment when she resigned admitting conflict of interest
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 24/01/2026: TikTok Controlled by Alt Reich in US Now, White House Shares Fake, Manipulated, Misleading Images Already
Links for the day
Projection Tactics - Part IV: SLAPP by Americans Against Techrights (UK) to Hide Serious Abuses Against American Women
"PRs need to stop being complicit in suppression of information via SLAPPs"
Dirty Laundry at Debian and Elsewhere
We cannot just brush aside real issues involving real people and their families
Illegal, Unconstitutional Kangaroo Court for Patents Drops the Masks, Shows Its Real Purpose is to Serve Multinational Monopolists and Crush European SMEs
Europe (or the EU) is rapidly becoming a corporate project, not a unified governance initiative
The "Alicante Mafia" - Part X - EPO Strikes to Begin Next Week
Things gradually escalate this month
Gemini Links 24/01/2026: Snow, Boxing, and Lisp is Fun
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, January 23, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, January 23, 2026