The Fedora Project has put out an important warning for users still running Fedora Linux 38. If you want to keep yourself safe from security exploits, you need to upgrade to version 39 or 40 this week before support ends on May 21st.
For those unaware, Fedora Linux is one of the most popular Linux distributions around. It's similar to Ubuntu in that it comes out with new releases every six months or so but typically includes more cutting edge software with each new release.
Like any operating system, Fedora versions reach their end of life where they no longer receive security updates. Usually they lose support a month after the release of the version two iterations ahead, Fedora 40 came out in April so that means Fedora 38 is getting shelved in May.
Users need only upgrade to Fedora 39 but can also jump to Fedora 40 if they wish. Fedora 39 will be supported until one month after the release of Fedora 41, which is currently slated for release in mid-October, that means Fedora 39 will be ok until mid-November.
Upgrading a Fedora system is very easy, just open up Software and go to the Updates tab. You should apply any available update and then you should see a notification to upgrade to the next version, click on that and go through the flow - with a decent internet connection the upgrade won’t take too much of your time.
According to Samyak Jain from the Fedora Packaging Team, once updates end for Fedora 38, no more security updates or security announcements will be given. All other updates for it will end too.
With no security updates coming in, Fedora 38 will grow more and more vulnerable to exploits with every day that passes. You could carry on running that version on your system, it won’t just stop working, but the longer you wait the more you’re increasing your risk.
Over time, the lack of updates will mean that your browser becomes out of date and that could be very dangerous for you as it’s used a lot and more targeted than the base Linux system itself.
Source: Fedora Discussion
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