Linux has become a lucrative target for malicious actors. It's not surprising though, as Linux powers everything from cloud infrastructure to embedded systems, serving as the backbone for critical infrastructure worldwide.
Attacks targeted at the platform range from sophisticated AI-written malware to run-of-the-mill crypto scams. Luckily, most times such breaches are usually caught and dealt with appropriately.
So, why was I yapping about all that? Well, the creator of systemd, Lennart Poettering, has teamed up with some fellow open source developers to start Amutable, a Linux security-focused outfit.
What's Happening?
Operating out of Berlin, Germany, Amutable looks to "bring determinism and verifiable integrity to Linux systems," focusing on building a secure foundation. The leadership is made up of Christian Brauner as the CTO, Chris Kühl acting as the CEO, and Lennart Poettering being the Chief Engineer.
Supporting them is a team of experienced open source developers who have worked on the Linux kernel, Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, SUSE, Kubernetes, LXC, Incus, and a few other projects.
Announcing this move over on Mastodon, Chris said that he was:
Very excited to be founding @Amutable with @pid_eins and @brauner. We are joined by one of the strongest Linux teams I could imagine building important foundational technologies that enable whole new capabilities built on trust and integrity.
What to Expect?
The company says that it is taking a different approach to Linux security, one where proactive measures are built into systems from the start rather than relying on reactive threat detection.
The team says they will be working on building the foundations for verification over the coming months, with more capabilities to be added on top of that subsequently.
They put it like this:
Integrity should be built into every critical infrastructure project. And an organization’s developer and operational teams should be able to meet trust and compliance goals as a natural result of good tooling and architecture, not as a burdensome detour.
Amutable will define that missing picture and replace heuristics with rigor. Over the coming months, we’ll be pouring foundations for verification and building robust capabilities on top.
That's not all. If you are interested in hearing from the Amutable team, then you are in luck, as they will be presenting at this year's FOSDEM event happening on 31 January and 1 February.
Don't worry, you can attend it for free, and there will be plenty of other open source developers presenting their work as well.
If you are an organization or someone who has something to discuss, then you can get in touch with Amutable. You can also sign up for their newsletter for updates.
Suggested Read 📖: What Happens to Linux After Linus Torvalds?
Sourav Rudra
