Tails 7.14 and Tor Browser 15.0.24 Bring Firefox 157 Security Fixes

Tails 7.14 and Tor Browser 15.0.24 Bring Firefox 157 Security Fixes

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Tails 7.14 was released on September 30, two weeks after Tails 7.13, on the project’s new two-week cycle. It arrives a day after the Tor Browser 15.0.24 release it is built around.

Tails 7.14

ComponentVersion
Tor Browser15.0.24
Tor0.4.9.13
Linux kernel6.12.111

Kernel 6.12.111 is the current 6.12 longterm release, which includes the fixes for September’s four public kernel root exploits.

The only other fix is for the default keyboard input method when starting a session in Korean.

Upgrading: Tails 7.0 or later can upgrade automatically, keeping Persistent Storage. Accept the upgrade prompt after connecting to Tor. Installing a fresh image instead erases Persistent Storage.

Tor Browser 15.0.24

Released on September 29, Tor Browser 15.0.24 moves to Firefox 140.17.0esr with security fixes backported from Firefox 157, plus Tor 0.4.9.13 and NoScript 13.6.35.

Two practical notes from the Tor Project:

  • Windows installers: the DigiCert EV code-signing certificate used for Windows packages expired on September 1. As a workaround, the download page lists 15.0.20, the last correctly signed version, and relies on the automatic updater to bring Windows users to 15.0.24. Linux users are unaffected
  • New signing subkey: this release is signed with a new subkey, so if you verify downloads with GPG, refresh the Tor Browser signing key first or verification will fail
gpg --auto-key-locate nodefault,wkd --locate-keys torbrowser@torproject.org
gpg --verify tor-browser-linux-x86_64-15.0.24.tar.xz.asc

Our GPG basics guide explains what that verification proves.

More news

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.Tails 7.11 Fixes Persistent Storage Failing to Activate on Some MachinesTails 7.11 resolves a bug that prevented Persistent Storage from activating on certain hardware, and updates Tor Browser to 15.0.20. Automatic upgrades are available from any Tails 7.0 or later.

Background reading

Explainers for the concepts behind this story.

Malware Scanning on Linux: ClamAV, rkhunter, and Lynis ComparedThree different tools that are often lumped together as Linux antivirus. What ClamAV, rkhunter, chkrootkit, and Lynis each actually detect, how to run them, how to read their false positives, and when scanning is worth it.Hardening systemd Services: The Directives That Actually ConfineProtectSystem, PrivateTmp, NoNewPrivileges, and the rest, what each one blocks, and how to use systemd-analyze security to find out how exposed your services are right now.The First Ten Minutes on a New Linux ServerA fresh VPS is reachable from the entire internet within seconds of provisioning. Here is the short, ordered list of things to do before you install anything else.