Users will have to update the operating system in order to fix the problem

Jul 29, 2014 13:27 GMT  ·  By

A Jinja2 exploit has been identified and repaired in the Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin) operating system by Canonical developers.

Only Ubuntu 12.04 LTS has been affected by this problem, which was just a security issue. As usual, it's a good idea to update the system even if it's not a major problem or vulnerability.

“It was discovered that Jinja2 incorrectly handled temporary cache files and directories. A local attacker could use this issue to possibly gain privileges,” reads the security notification.

For a more detailed description of the problems, you can see Canonical's security notification. Users are advised to upgrade their systems as soon as possible.

The flaws can be fixed if you upgrade your system(s) to the latest php5 packages specific to each distribution. To apply the patch, run the Update Manager application.

It's also possible to update the operating system from a terminal and you will have to be root in order to do it. You only need to enter the following commands in a terminal:

sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

In general, a standard system update will make all the necessary changes and users won't have to restart the PC or laptop in order to apply the patch.