The privacy-focused Linux operating system, Tails, has been upgraded to version 4.18. It comes with several changes and includes fixes for known security vulnerabilities. Due to the nature of Tails and its focus on privacy, the team that produces the OS has urged everyone to upgrade to Tails 4.18 as soon as possible.
If you’ve ever used Tails, you’ll have noticed the ‘Synchronizing the system’s clock’ notification after you connect to the internet. As this notification doesn’t recommend a specific action, the developers decided to remove it altogether so that it doesn’t confuse users into changing the system’s clock.
Another change in this update is the removal of the gettext editor Poedit. Tails uses Weblate now to provide translated text for Tails and Tails website so Poedit wasn’t deemed necessary. You can still install Poedit on Tails by following the Additional Software guide.
In addition to these changes, the Tor Browser has been upgraded to 10.0.16, Thunderbird has been updated to 78.9.0-1, and some Intel and Linux firmware packages have been updated which should improve support for newer hardware such as graphics cards and Wi-Fi.
To upgrade a Tails 4.15+ device to the latest version just boot the system, connect to Wi-Fi and you should see a pop-up telling you to upgrade. If you’re on Tails 4.14 or below, automatic upgrades are broken you’ll need to do a manual upgrade.
