Tails 3.16 and Tor Browser 8.5.5 Released: Key Updates and Security Fixes

By Riley ThompsonTechnology News

Tails 3.16 and Tor Browser 8.5.5 Released

The release of the specialized Tails 3.16 distribution (The Amnesic Incognito Live System) and Tor Browser 8.5.5 has been announced, with a one-day delay. Tails is based on Debian and is designed to provide anonymous internet access. Anonymity in Tails is ensured through the Tor network, and all connections except those routed through Tor are blocked by default using a packet filter. User data persistence between sessions is protected with encryption. The new ISO image, sized at 1 GB, is available for download and can be run in Live mode.

What’s New in Tails 3.16

  • Updated Tor Browser to version 8.5.5
  • Updated Thunderbird to version 60.8
  • Updated Linux kernel to 4.19.37-5+deb10u2, which addresses the SWAPGS vulnerability (a variant of Spectre v1)
  • Removed LibreOffice Math from the default package set; it can now be installed via the Additional Software wizard if needed
  • Discontinued the inclusion of a predefined set of bookmarks in Tor Browser and the automatic generation of I2P and IRC accounts in Pidgin
  • Updated firmware packages
  • Reworked the code responsible for hiding user data partitions in Tails

Tor Browser 8.5.5 Highlights

Alongside the Tails update, Tor Browser 8.5.5 has been released, focusing on anonymity, security, and privacy. This version introduces the new stable branch Tor 0.4.1 and updates the NoScript extension to version 11.0.3. For Android users, support for the Aarch64 (arm64-v8a) architecture has been added.

Security and Future Releases

This release is synchronized with the Firefox 60.9.0 ESR codebase, which addresses 10 vulnerabilities. Two of these (CVE-2019-11740) could potentially allow attackers to execute code, while two others (CVE-2019-9812) could bypass sandbox isolation via Firefox Sync manipulation. Tor Browser 8.5.5 will be the last in the 8.5 series; in October, Tor Browser 9.0 will be released based on the new Firefox 68 ESR branch.

Sources and Community

  • Follow our other channels for more updates
  • Thanks to our friends and partners for their support

Leave a Reply