There are some Linux system administrators out there who should be glad, very glad, they don't work for me because I'd be firing them today.

Why? Because the U.S. CERT (Computer Emergency Readiness Team) is reporting that Linux systems are being successfully attacked by crackers using compromised SSH (Secure Shell) keys. Once a system has been cracked with an illegitimate SSH key, the cracker uses local kernel exploits to gain root access and a rootkit called "phalanx2" is installed.

Once in place, phalanx2 steals more SSH keys from the compromised system. These keys are then, of course, sent to the attackers, who will use them to try to compromise other sites and... Well you get the idea.

So, why am I ticked off?