systemd couldn't have fixed it, because removing the offending code from systemd wouldn't have prevented any other program from, innocently or maliciously, trig

systemd couldn't have fixed it, because removing the offending code from systemd wouldn't have prevented any other program from, innocently or maliciously, triggering the same bug. The kernel is where the buck stops when it comes to protecting hardware and, therefore, protecting software from misdesigned and/or buggy hardware. That's been true for longer than most of us have been alive.