INFRA Signal 100
Old IBM Driver Joins Insecure SGI Drivers In Being Removed For Linux 7.3
↗
Illustration only Photo by Ivan N on Unsplash
The Linux 7.3 merge removed an old IBM driver alongside previously flagged insecure SGI drivers, continuing the project's trend of dropping rarely updated hardware support.
Engineers who depend on the IBM driver will find it absent in Linux 7.3, requiring them to seek alternative drivers or remain on older kernel releases. The removal reduces the kernel's attack surface by eliminating code that sees little maintenance. Systems using the affected hardware must either adapt or accept reduced functionality on newer kernels.
Written by elseif from the cluster below · every claim links back to a sourceThe three things worth knowing
The Linux 7.3 merge includes the removal of an old IBM driver from the char/misc subsystem.
This driver joins previously identified insecure SGI drivers that are also being dropped in the same cycle.
The removals are part of an ongoing effort to eliminate rarely updated hardware support and reduce potential security risks.
THE READ
What the cluster adds up to.
The change involves the removal of an old IBM driver that had been part of the char/misc subsystem in the Linux kernel. This removal was merged as part of the char/misc updates for the Linux 7.3 cycle. The driver is being dropped alongside a set of SGI drivers that were previously flagged as insecure. Together, these deletions reflect a broader cleanup of legacy hardware support.
For engineers maintaining systems that rely on the IBM driver, the update means they must now evaluate alternative drivers or consider staying on a pre-7.3 kernel. Testing alternative drivers adds validation work and may require porting existing software to new interfaces. The effort to maintain compatibility increases because the driver is no longer receiving upstream updates. Teams may need to allocate resources to develop or adopt community-maintained replacements.
On Linux 7.3 and later, any hardware that depended solely on the removed IBM driver will lack kernel-level support, causing the device to fail to initialize or function. Users cannot rely on the driver for new installations and must either use legacy kernels or seek external solutions. If no suitable replacement exists, the hardware may become effectively unusable on newer kernel releases. This underscores the trade-off between reducing attack surface and maintaining support for older, rarely updated devices.
Written by elseif from the cluster below · checked for specifics the sources never containedTHE CLUSTER