Tails 7.11 Fixes Persistent Storage Failing to Activate on Some Machines

Tails 7.11 Fixes Persistent Storage Failing to Activate on Some Machines

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Tails 7.11 was released on August 19, fixing an issue that could prevent Persistent Storage from activating on some computers and updating Tor Browser to 15.0.20.

The Persistent Storage bug

Persistent Storage is the encrypted volume on your Tails USB stick that survives reboots, holding your Tor Browser bookmarks, GnuPG keys, network connections, and any files you deliberately keep. Everything else in Tails is amnesic by design and disappears at shutdown.

A bug tracked as issue #19913 prevented that volume from activating on certain hardware. The failure mode is particularly unpleasant in a distribution built around amnesia: the storage is there and intact, but the system boots without it, and the first assumption a worried user makes is that their data is gone.

It is not. This was an activation failure, not data loss, and 7.11 restores normal behavior.

Tor Browser 15.0.20

The bundled Tor Browser moves to 15.0.20. Tails ships Tor Browser as its primary application, and keeping it current is the single most important security property the distribution has, since browser vulnerabilities are the realistic attack path against a Tails user rather than anything in the base system.

Upgrading

Automatic upgrades are available from Tails 7.0 or later. If the automatic upgrade is unavailable, or if Tails fails to start after one, a manual upgrade following the standard installation instructions will get you there.

Users who were affected by the Persistent Storage bug should upgrade before assuming anything about the state of their data.

Context

Tails sits on a Debian base and rebuilds regularly to pick up upstream security fixes, which is why its release numbers move quickly. A 7.11 arriving with a single headline bugfix and a browser bump is the normal rhythm, not a sign of trouble.

For anyone new to it: Tails routes all connections through Tor, runs from removable media, and forgets everything by default. It is a specific tool for a specific threat model, not a general-purpose desktop, and it is worth understanding which of those properties you actually need before adopting it.

More news

Tails 7.14 and Tor Browser 15.0.24 Bring Firefox 157 Security FixesTails 7.14 ships Tor Browser 15.0.24, Tor 0.4.9.13, and Linux 6.12.111. Tor Browser itself moves to Firefox 140.17.0esr with security fixes backported from Firefox 157, and is signed with a new GPG subkey.Tails 7.13 Released with Faster ShutdownsTails 7.13 ships Tor Browser 15.0.23 and Tor 0.4.9.12, and removes confirmation prompts from the shutdown path, which matters more for this distribution than for most.Tails 7.12 Kicks Off a New Two-Week Release CycleThe amnesic live system is moving to a fortnightly release cadence, which for a security-focused distribution is a meaningful change in how quickly fixes reach users.

Background reading

Explainers for the concepts behind this story.

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