Russ Cox • 10/26/2023

Running the “Reflections on Trusting Trust” Compiler

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This technical article details an experiment running the actual code from Ken Thompson's seminal 1983 lecture 'Reflections on Trusting Trust.' It explains and demonstrates the three-step process of creating a self-reproducing program (quine), how compilers can learn and embed knowledge, and ultimately how a compiler binary can be modified to insert a backdoor (like in a login program) with no trace in the source code, highlighting fundamental and historical issues in software supply chain security.

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#Supply Chain #Compiler Security #Backdoor
Running the “Reflections on Trusting Trust” Compiler

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