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

Libya's Share on the Web: 5.2% GNU/Linux
GNU/Linux has hit an all-time high there
Codecs and Software Patents - Part VI - The European Patent Office, Nokia, Microsoft, Sisvel, and More
Whatever Nokia used to be, it's certainly not an ally and a lot of the turmoil at the EPO is the fault of companies like Nokia
 
Links 11/05/2026: The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Admits It Only Reacts When It's Too Late (Damage Already Done), Ombudsman’s Animal Cruelty HK Report
Links for the day
If It Takes You a Second to Serve (or Receive) a Page, That's Definitely Too Slow
For speeds at milliseconds (e.g. for pages to fully load in a tenth of a second) the pages must be ready to be sent as soon as they're requested
It's Not About Speed, It is About Patience and Adherence to Truth, Principles, Scientific Integrity
attacks on us only ever made us stronger - a lesson that our adversaries have learned the hard way
Cyber Show Does it Like Techrights: Static and Gemini Protocol as 'First-Class Citizen'
HTML and GemText (over Gemini Protocol) would be rendered in tandem
SLAPP Censorship - Part 73 Out of 200: Microsoft's Graveley and Garrett Remain Closely Connected in May 2026 ("Tag-Teaming" Against Bloggers in Another Continent)
The phrase "judge a person by their friends" seems applicable here
Discussions About When the Axe Falls at IBM/Kyndryl (11,000 Layoffs Estimated)
"Kyndryl restructuring should reduce overhead functions and reduce the number of managers that lack technical knowledge"
A World After Microsoft (and GAFAM) and After GitHub Shuts Down
the only growth area is debt
Fake News, Propaganda, and Misinformation: Microsoft Investing Money It Does Not Have in "Hey Hi" (for "Entertainment Purposes" Only)
This will not end well
Today the Whole European Patent Office (EPO) is on Strike and Next Monday an Even Bigger Strike
the media refuses to cover these and is thus complicit
The Corrupt Lecture the Non-Corrupt - Part IXX - EPO Management Speaks of Reputation and Integrity While Putting Cocaine Addicts in Management
If the EPO values its "reputation", then it needs to start by ousting the management
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, May 10, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, May 10, 2026
Links 11/05/2026: Security Breaches, Politics, and Energy Crunch
Links for the day
Gemini Links 10/05/2026: "Accidental Cameras" and "Addictive" Interfaces in Social Control Media
Links for the day
Codecs and Software Patents - Part V - A Reminder That GAFAM and the European Patent Office (Which Serves American Monopolists) Do Considerable Harm to the Commons and Culture
some 'breaking' developments
Gemini Links 10/05/2026: Inkscape, Guix, and Alhena 5.5.8
Links for the day
The "Alicante Mafia" at the European Patent Office (EPO) Experiments With New Methods for Crushing Industrial Actions
Open letter to VP1 and the COO [...] What does this tell us about the status quo at the European Patent Office, Europe's second-largest institution?
The Corrupt Lecture the Non-Corrupt - Part XVIII - "The European Patent Office (EPO) has a zero-tolerance policy for fraud" (except when managers do it)
The guidebook of the EPO says fraud is not to be tolerated, but who enforces or revisits such "Red Lines"?
Links 10/05/2026: Hantavirus Brings Back 'Contact Tracing' Surveillance, "Staple Food Prices Soar in Iran"
Links for the day
Microsoft XBox Staff Know They're in Trouble, They Try to Unionise Ahead of Mass Layoffs
As the slang goes, it's going to be a "bloodbath"
Links 10/05/2026: Fake Suicide Notes and New EU Restrictions on Slop
Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 72 Out of 200: Microsoft's Graveley and Garrett Signed Documents That Hold Them Accountable to Truth and Liable for Lies
Such collaborations are unsavoury and apparently unprofessional, too
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, May 09, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, May 09, 2026
Gemini Links 10/05/2026: Travelling to Van and "Dark Mode" as Passing Fad
Links for the day
IBM's Kyndryl Holdings Inc Sank 70-75% in 'Value' in 10 Months, Will IBM Follow?
Kyndryl Holdings Inc now has a debt considerably higher than this company is said to be 'worth'!
Belated Sovereignty: GNU/Linux in Iran Skyrockets to 6% Amid Armed Conflict
unless they're truly in control of their networks, hardware and software, somebody else can control them
Gemini Links 09/05/2026: Liberation, The Nocturnals, Rediscovering Internet Radio, and More
Links for the day
Links 09/05/2026: Kremlin’s Biggest Day of the Year and FBI's Attack on the Media (to Save Face)
Links for the day
Google is "Bullshit"
Fix your slop, Google. It's broken.
SLAPP Censorship - Part 71 Out of 200: 5RB Barristers Made Tens of Thousands of Pounds by Changing From Plural to Singular for Microsoft's Graveley and Garrett
Could not even get the client's name right
Links 09/05/2026: "Grand Theft Oil Futures" and Mass Layoffs at Verizon
Links for the day
Gemini Links 09/05/2026: Inkscape "Copy Text Style" and NomadNet
Links for the day
The Corrupt Lecture the Non-Corrupt - Part XVII - European Patent Office (EPO) Management Not Sharing Responsibility for Financial Resources
For those who wonder, EPO strikes are still going on
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, May 08, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, May 08, 2026