Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
The developers of Debian have made available the sixth point release of version 12 (codename "Bookworm"). This is not a new version of the OS but an update to some of the included packages. But given the nature of security, any release that mitigates vulnerabilities should be considered important. Users who regularly update from security.debian.org will most likely already have all of the included patches/fixes.
The security updates for 12.6 include several packages, many of which aren't for user-facing applications, but are still considered necessary. For instance, you'll find security patches for bind9, unbound, nodejs, webkit2gtk, yard, squid, apache2, flatpak, cacti, cockpit, xorg-server, php8.2, and (of course) the Linux kernel. There are some user apps listed, such as Thunderbird, Firefox ESR, gnome-shell, and LibreOffice.
There have also been a few packages removed from Bookworm, such as phpgadmin, pytest-salt-factories, ruby-arel, spip, and vasttrafic-cli. These packages were removed for reasons beyond the Debian team's control.
Of course, there's also a long list of bug fixes (as there is with most updates).
Although Debian 12.6 isn't a major update with game-changing features, because it includes plenty of security patches, you should upgrade your existing version of the OS ASAP. Read more about 12.6 in the official release notes.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Armbian 24.11 Released with Expanded Hardware Support
If you've been waiting for Armbian to support OrangePi 5 Max and Radxa ROCK 5B+, the wait is over.
-
SUSE Renames Several Products for Better Name Recognition
SUSE has been a very powerful player in the European market, but it knows it must branch out to gain serious traction. Will a name change do the trick?
-
ESET Discovers New Linux Malware
WolfsBane is an all-in-one malware that has hit the Linux operating system and includes a dropper, a launcher, and a backdoor.
-
New Linux Kernel Patch Allows Forcing a CPU Mitigation
Even when CPU mitigations can consume precious CPU cycles, it might not be a bad idea to allow users to enable them, even if your machine isn't vulnerable.
-
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.5 Released
Notify your friends, loved ones, and colleagues that the latest version of RHEL is available with plenty of enhancements.
-
Linux Sees Massive Performance Increase from a Single Line of Code
With one line of code, Intel was able to increase the performance of the Linux kernel by 4,000 percent.
-
Fedora KDE Approved as an Official Spin
If you prefer the Plasma desktop environment and the Fedora distribution, you're in luck because there's now an official spin that is listed on the same level as the Fedora Workstation edition.
-
New Steam Client Ups the Ante for Linux
The latest release from Steam has some pretty cool tricks up its sleeve.
-
Gnome OS Transitioning Toward a General-Purpose Distro
If you're looking for the perfectly vanilla take on the Gnome desktop, Gnome OS might be for you.
-
Fedora 41 Released with New Features
If you're a Fedora fan or just looking for a Linux distribution to help you migrate from Windows, Fedora 41 might be just the ticket.