The Tails Project has released Tails 7.10.1, the latest update to the privacy-focused Debian-based Linux distro that routes internet traffic through the Tor network and minimizes traces on the host computer, as an emergency security update addressing critical vulnerabilities in the Linux kernel and the Expat XML parsing library.
The release updates the Linux kernel to version 6.12.100, fixing CVE-2026-64560, a vulnerability that could allow Tor Browser running inside Tails to obtain administrator privileges. According to the developers, a malicious website exploiting the flaw could take full control of the operating system and deanonymize the user.
Tails 7.10.1 also upgrades the Expat XML library to version 2.8.2, resolving several security issues covered by Debian advisory DSA-6404-1. These flaws could allow applications using Expat (including LibreOffice, Audacity, and Git) to gain administrator privileges after opening a crafted malicious file.
Once again, successful exploitation could give an attacker complete control over the Tails session and reveal the user’s identity. However, the developers describe this attack scenario as similarly unlikely and say there is currently no evidence of exploitation in the wild.
Beyond the security fixes, automatic upgrades are now compressed with Zstandard, or zstd, which should improve startup speed during the update process. The project has also removed unused firmware, reducing both USB images and automatic upgrade packages by approximately 70 MB.
For additional details, refer to the changelog or the release announcement.
Automatic upgrades to Tails 7.10.1 are available for systems running Tails 7.0 or later. Users who cannot complete the automatic update, or whose system no longer starts afterward, can perform a manual upgrade instead. Fresh USB and ISO images are also available through the project’s official announcement.
