Here's what's new in Tails 7.8
You won't find Mozilla Thunderbird preinstalled on this release.
The developers of the privacy-conscious Tails Linux distribution announced Tails 7.8 today. It's a version bump that includes important security patches and fixes, including removal of popular software.
What's new
- The software base: Tails is now based on Debian 13.5. The point release for Trixie added security mitigations for the Copy Fail and Dirty Frag vulnerabilities.
What's getting better
- Tor Browser: Security backports from Firefox 151 have been added, and desktop Tor Browser itself is now based on Firefox ESR 140.11.0.
- Tails security: The Fragnesia Linux kernel vulnerability was patched, and a sandbox escape issue with the GNOME Yelp app was fixed as well.
What's going away
- Thunderbird (by default): Tails will no longer include the Thunderbird email client by default. Incongruity between Tails and Thunderbird's respective release cycle created security lags, so you now must install Thunderbird yourself if you want it.
Zooming out
Why this update matters: Tails is a Linux distribution specializing in privacy and security, increasingly valuable assets for people doing good work in the world right now.
My take: I've never seen an app removed from an live image just because it has a poorly matched release cycle.
Diving in
The fineprint: To learn more, head to the the official Tails 7.8 announcement, or see the full changelog with technical details.
Get it now: Go to the download page if you want to install Tails 7.8 on your computer or just a portable USB stick. If you already have Tails, you should be prompted to update the next time you boot up and connect to the internet.
