It is not Notepad++ fault. Essentially, the CIA made a modified version of a DLL included with Notepad++ that contains a backdoor, but it is not in the official version of Notepad++ and you can't get it by normal means.
The fix is just an improved signature check, so that Notepad++ detects if that DLL has been tempered with, by the CIA or anyone else, or by a virus. But as Don Ho himself said, it is a rather weak protection, for that specific attack. Notepad++ is free software, the CIA (or any malware author) can make a version with Notepad++ with a backdoor and there is nothing the author can do, it is true for all free software, and most proprietary software too.
But Don Ho being Don Ho, and because it is the CIA, he had to make a rant about it. I don't like his attempts to push his political opinions with Notepad++, but that's his software, his rights.
The fix is just an improved signature check, so that Notepad++ detects if that DLL has been tempered with, by the CIA or anyone else, or by a virus. But as Don Ho himself said, it is a rather weak protection, for that specific attack. Notepad++ is free software, the CIA (or any malware author) can make a version with Notepad++ with a backdoor and there is nothing the author can do, it is true for all free software, and most proprietary software too.
But Don Ho being Don Ho, and because it is the CIA, he had to make a rant about it. I don't like his attempts to push his political opinions with Notepad++, but that's his software, his rights.