Tails 7.8 has been released as the newest version of the privacy-focused live operating system that routes all internet traffic through the Tor network, bringing an updated Tor Browser, several security fixes, and a notable change to the default application set.
More specifically, this release removes Thunderbird from the default Tails image. According to the project, Thunderbird remains available and can still be installed as Additional Software.
In light of this, users who already have both Thunderbird and the Additional Software feature enabled in Persistent Storage will have Thunderbird automatically added to their list of additional software.
By moving Thunderbird to Additional Software instead of shipping it by default, Tails can install the latest available Thunderbird version automatically from Persistent Storage each time the system starts.
On the browser side, Tails 7.8 updates Tor Browser to version 15.0.14. The release also fixes multiple security vulnerabilities in the Linux kernel (6.12 LTS) and haveged. According to the Tails team, these flaws could let an application running inside Tails gain administrative privileges.
For additional details, refer to the changelog or the release announcement.
Automatic upgrades to Tails 7.8 are available for users running Tails 7.0 or later. Users who cannot complete the automatic upgrade, or whose system fails to start afterward, are advised to perform a manual upgrade.
For new installations, Tails 7.8 is available as a USB image and as an ISO image for DVDs and virtual machines. The project reminds users that installing Tails on a USB stick instead of upgrading an existing installation will erase Persistent Storage on that device.
