# Preprint shows binary-seed attack can subvert NixOS bootstrap

_Saturday, September 5, 2026 at 7:25 AM EDT · Science, Security · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

A preprint describes a trusting-trust attack built around GNU strip during the NixOS bootstrap process. The authors say a tampered strip binary seed can implant a payload into later generations of strip and leave it in the final standard environment after the seed exits the dependency closure. On one nixpkgs revision, they report building a complete graphical installer without failures while backdooring almost all of its binaries.

## Sources

- [arxiv.org](https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.24888)

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Retrieved: 2026-09-08T06:46:11.180Z
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