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Slopwatch: LinuxSecurity, linuxconfig.org, and Plagiarised Phoronix

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Sep 20, 2025,
updated Sep 20, 2025

This latest Slopwatch will be quite short, starting with a pattern we've long noticed about "NPM" (Microsoft) taking the blame or some particular developers named, even if it happens on Microsoft's watch and it is in fact Microsoft transmitting malware to people's servers and other devices:

Slop or fake: NPM Attack Exposes Supply Chain Risks in Open Source Software

We've meanwhile also noticed that Lucas Rees (linuxconfig.org) experiments/dabbles in a new kind of slop image generator to complement the LLM slop, which is what his Web site became infested with this year (he seems to be editing and reformatting slop, but it's still slop):

Slop or fake: Debian 13 ‘Trixie’ Released: Major Advancements in Open-Source OS Development

Another new fake:

Slop or fake: Ubuntu Studio 25.10 “Questing Quokka” Beta Launched

Aside from the slop images the structure of the text is a giveaway. The text doesn't "read" like it's made by a human either. It's a "smooth-talking" robot:

Ubuntu Studio 25.10 “Questing Quokka” Beta has officially launched, bringing significant improvements to creative professionals and multimedia enthusiasts. This latest Ubuntu Studio 25.10 release introduces major desktop environment upgrades, enhanced audio production capabilities, and substantial updates to creative applications that position it as a leading choice for content creators

In Google News, this notorious slopfarm is still having a go at "Linux", probably just plagiarising articles from Phoronix and slapping slop images on top of these:

Slop or fake: Linux Patch Optimizes Networking, Cuts Latency by 20% in Data Centers

Slop or fake: AMD Integrates ACPI C4 Support in Linux Kernel for Ryzen Power Savings

Today, for a change, the proportion of Google News results that are slop is relatively low.

Many articles out there are nowadays fake. The best way to temporarily tackle this issue is to identity the culprits (people and domains). Then more people will quit paying attention to their slop.

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