Linux Kernel Daily: Security and Build Fixes
Linus Torvalds merged critical fixes addressing a crypto library security issue and build failures in the RTLA tracing tool. The updates include proper memory zeroization in ChaCha encryption and resolution of missing libbpf header dependencies.
Duration: PT1M39S
Transcript
Good morning, this is Linux Kernel Daily for March 31st, 2026.
Today's activity focused on critical maintenance fixes with three commits addressing security and build issues.
Linus Torvalds merged a crypto library fix from Eric Biggers that addresses missing zeroization of the ChaCha state. This security-focused change ensures that the permuted_state variable is properly cleared before leaving scope in the ChaCha block generic implementation, preventing potential memory disclosure vulnerabilities.
The second merge from Steven Rostedt fixes a build failure in the RTLA real-time latency analysis tool. The issue occurred when libbpf libraries weren't present on the system, breaking compilation for users without BPF development packages installed.
The fix, authored by Tomas Glozar from Red Hat, removes a redundant include of bpf/libbpf.h from the timerlat_bpf.h header file. This include was leftover from an earlier draft of the BPF actions patchset and became problematic when the function that required it was moved elsewhere. The change maintains RTLA's ability to build without libbpf dependencies while preserving BPF functionality when the libraries are available.
Both fixes target fundamental infrastructure components - crypto operations that handle sensitive data and build systems that need to work across diverse development environments.
What's next: Watch for additional late-cycle fixes as we approach the 7.0 release candidate phase, particularly around build system compatibility and security hardening.
That's your Linux Kernel Daily briefing for today.