So what happened with the linux bug? Presumably people fixed the OS side problem straight away?

kernel-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4 broke it. It was released in Apr 30, 2024, with RHEL 9.4 (this was the RHEL 9.4 release kernel).

According to the comments on https://access.redhat.com/solutions/7068083, RHEL became aware of the issue on May 3, 2024.

A workaround was identified (configuring CS to use the kernel module backend instead of the ebpf backend) on May 9, 2024.

RHEL then fixed it in kernel-5.14.0-427.18.1.el9_4, in May 23, 2024.

So the bug was fixed in ~20 days from the moment it was reported.

It's unclear whether this issue was caused by a RHEL-specific backport/patch or was also present in mainline kernels.

I was told by a friend, not a prof. But now that I'm a prof I can tell you that most students look at you weird if you go anywhere near politics in a CS lecture. Or even into biology / evolution.

Let me guess: you happen to be living in the US?