The research plan is said to include reversing the hypocrite patch. So basically you're replacing one existing bug (if the researchers could find it, anyone els

The research plan is said to include reversing the hypocrite patch. So basically you're replacing one existing bug (if the researchers could find it, anyone else could) with an obscure bug (that at least initially only the researchers are aware of) and then only if the obscure bug slips through the maintainers, then later the obscure bug is also purged. So even if the IRB understands what's going on, I think there's a reasonable beneficence case.