Software supply chain · 1984 · Ken Thompson
Reflections on Trusting Trust
Show that source inspection is insufficient when the compiler translating the source can reproduce hidden behavior into future binaries.
The central move
Show that source inspection is insufficient when the compiler translating the source can reproduce hidden behavior into future binaries.
Why it had to exist
Security review commonly treated visible source as the root of truth. Bootstrapped toolchains revealed that the translator itself is part of the trusted computing base.
Where it leads
Toolchain trust → reproducible builds and diverse compilation → signed provenance and supply-chain assurance.