A month after its previous 6.4 release, Tails 6.5 is out, much to the excitement of individuals passionate about online privacy. As an acronym for The Amnesic Incognito Live System, it is a Debian-based Linux distro that helps users stay anonymous online.
The most noteworthy enhancement in the new release is the accelerated installation process. Thanks to optimizations made to the Tails Cloner, users can now install the operating system up to 30 seconds faster.
This release also boosts security and privacy features. The Tor Browser has been updated to version 13.5.1. This update includes improved letterboxing features, which enhance user privacy by preventing websites from determining the user’s screen size—a common tracking technique.
Additionally, Tails 6.5 upgrades its underlying system to Debian 12.6, ensuring users benefit from the latest security patches and system improvements of this widely respected Linux distro.
The update also resolves several issues on the bugfixes side. Notably, it addresses a problem where the preparation for first use could disrupt the boot process on legacy BIOS systems and affect the creation of Persistent Storage.
Other fixes include correcting the default language settings of the Tor Browser when launched from the Tor Connection and improving connectivity issues with mobile broadband, LTE, and PPPoE DSL connections.
Tails 6.5 offers automatic upgrades from version 6.0 or later for users looking to upgrade. However, in instances where an automatic upgrade is not feasible or if Tails fails to start post-upgrade, the project recommends a manual upgrade.
Those interested in the technical details and the complete list of changes can refer to the release announcement or visit the full changelog.
