US Congress · AMD · The Register
More ancient Linux device support runs into the chop
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 outlet. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
◌ Single Source
One tactic to deal with LLM-powered vulnerability detection is simple, speed up the removal of old code.
Key facts
- Another device-support removal that may happen in kernel 7.1 is one that was last proposed almost a year ago for kernel 6.15: removal of 80486 support
- Some of these are long-standing howlers, such as a 27-year-old bug in OpenBSD and a 23-year-old flaw in the Linux in-kernel NFS code
- The AX.25 and HAM Radio drivers are also slated to go, as is Asynchronous Transfer Mode networking
- Andrew Lunn's 18-patch series removes the drivers for 3Com's 3C509, 3C515, 3C574, 3C589 and 3C59x hardware
Summary
Bot-powered bug-busting is in the news of late, with scary-sounding reports of automated tools detecting flaws and vulnerabilities far faster than any unaided humans. The good news is that there's one fairly dramatic but simple approach to handling this: if the bugs are in old drivers for old hardware, then don't even try to fix them, remove them. Andrew Lunn's 18-patch series removes the drivers for 3Com's 3C509, 3C515, 3C574, 3C589 and 3C59x hardware. Also up for the chop are some newer, but still over two decade old, cards: the Hamachi and Yellowfin PCI gigabit adaptors. The AX.25 and HAM Radio drivers are also slated to go, as is Asynchronous Transfer Mode networking. Linux may get a hall pass from one state age-check bill, but Congress plays hall monitor.