Comment Kernel.org may not bother with clean wipe (Score 2) 183
Disturbingly they seem to have considered not wiping and reinstalling.
System is being verified from backups, signatures, etc. As of right
now things look correct, however we MAY take the system down soon to do
a full reinstall and for more invasive checking.(emphasis added) John 'Warthog9' Hawley
Chief Kernel.org Administrator http://pastebin.com/BKcmMd47
It appears that the chief kernel.org system administrator is so naive about security that he doesn't even realize the absolute necessity of a full wipe and reinstall after compromise of such an important site. It also appears that there was no routine booting from read only media to check system files and startup scripts for changes. And no daily rootkit scan. If it was me, I would trash the motherboard for fear of BIOS or other firmware contamination. Exploits living on the firmware of network cards and other places have been demonstrated.