Skip to content

Steven Kontra

pedit cow linux

Pedit COW Explained: The Linux Kernel Flaw Letting Local Users Become Root

A new Linux kernel vulnerability nicknamed “pedit COW” has become one of the biggest security stories of June 2026. Tracked as CVE-2026-46331, the bug lets an ordinary, unprivileged user on a Linux machine climb all the way to root — without ever touching a file on disk. A working exploit went public within a day… Read More »Pedit COW Explained: The Linux Kernel Flaw Letting Local Users Become Root

AUR malware attack

The AUR Malware Attack Exposed a Fact Most Arch Users Don’t Know

Here is something most Arch Linux users have never thought carefully about: the Arch User Repository — the AUR, the place millions of Arch users go to install software that isn’t in the official repos — has no code review process at all. Anyone can upload a package. Anyone can take over a package whose… Read More »The AUR Malware Attack Exposed a Fact Most Arch Users Don’t Know

Linux Kernel 7.1 Released

Linux Kernel 7.1 Released — New NTFS Driver, Intel FRED, and What’s New

Published: June 18, 2026 | Released June 14, 2026 | Covers desktop, gaming, and server impact Linux Kernel 7.1 is here. Linus Torvalds tagged the release on June 14, 2026 — slightly ahead of schedule, fitting it in around travel plans — and it is a genuinely interesting mid-cycle release. Linux Kernel 7.1 pairs a… Read More »Linux Kernel 7.1 Released — New NTFS Driver, Intel FRED, and What’s New

Secure Boot Linux 2026

Microsoft’s Secure Boot Certificates Expire June 27 — What Every Linux User Must Know

Secure Boot Linux 2026 has a deadline most users don’t know about. On June 27, 2026, Microsoft’s original 2011 Secure Boot signing certificate expires — and the misinformation circulating about what that actually means is making things worse. Your machine will not suddenly stop booting on June 28. But if you do nothing and your… Read More »Microsoft’s Secure Boot Certificates Expire June 27 — What Every Linux User Must Know

How to Set Up WireGuard VPN on Linux

How to Set Up WireGuard VPN on Linux (Server and Client, 2026)

Updated: May 2026 | Covers Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, Debian, Fedora | Server + client + mobile setup WireGuard is the default VPN protocol in 2026. It is built into the Linux kernel, faster than OpenVPN, simpler to configure, and cryptographically sound. Mullvad deprecated OpenVPN entirely in January 2026 — that is the direction the industry… Read More »How to Set Up WireGuard VPN on Linux (Server and Client, 2026)

Origami Linux merges into RakuOS immutable distro

Origami Linux Is Dead — and That Might Be Great News for Immutable Linux

Published: June 2026 | Category: News & Analysis If you blinked last week, you might have missed one of the more interesting distro-world developments of 2026: Origami Linux is gone. Not abandoned — merged. And the project it merged into, RakuOS, is doing something genuinely different in the increasingly crowded immutable Linux space. Here’s what… Read More »Origami Linux Is Dead — and That Might Be Great News for Immutable Linux

How to Harden Your Linux System

How to Harden Your Linux System in 30 Minutes (Step-by-Step)

Skill level: Intermediate | Time to complete: 30–40 minutes | Tested on: Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 12, Fedora 41 How to Harden Your Linux System Most Linux systems are installed with convenience in mind, not maximum security. The default settings are reasonable for a desktop, but they leave several doors open that you probably want shut… Read More »How to Harden Your Linux System in 30 Minutes (Step-by-Step)