Andres Freund, a Microsoft software engineer, uncovered a critical security flaw in 'XZ Utils', a key Linux tool.

The German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has labeled the flaw as 'business-critical' and issued a warning.

IT administrators are strongly advised to promptly address the risk by checking for compromised 'XZ Utils' versions, especially 5.6.0 and 5.6.1.

Linux developers have been notified by Freund and have released updates to correct the vulnerability.

No evidence suggests that the vulnerability was exploited by hackers before Freund's discovery.

The incident highlights the importance of enhanced security protocols for the open-source software supply chain.