14 DAY TRIAL // The Debian Project, through Salvatore Bonaccorso, announced the availability of a new kernel security update for the Debian GNU/Linux 8 "Jessie" operating system series that addresses a total of 14 vulnerabilities discovered recently and patched upstream.
We are talking about the Linux 3.16 kernel series, which Debian Project currently uses for Debian GNU/Linux 8 "Jessie" users, which has been updated to version 3.16.39-1+deb8u1 and is now the most stable build available for the operating system. Users are urged to update their systems immediately to fix the security problems mentioned below.
"Several vulnerabilities have been discovered in the Linux kernel that may lead to a privilege escalation, denial of service or have other impacts," said Salvatore Bonaccorso in Debian Security Advisory DSA-3791-1, where we can see that the security flaws are CVE-2016-6786, CVE-2016-6787, CVE-2016-8405, CVE-2016-9191, CVE-2017-2583, CVE-2017-2584, CVE-2017-2596, CVE-2017-2618, CVE-2017-5549, CVE-2017-5551, CVE-2017-5897, CVE-2017-5970, CVE-2017-6001, and CVE-2017-6074.
All Debian GNU/Linux 8 "Jessie" users need to update
You can click on any of the CVE entries listed below if you're curious to know what exactly was fixed, as well as to check out the security advisory where each vulnerability is described, along with information on how your system is affected by it. However, we recommend that you update your Debian GNU/Linux 8 "Jessie" operating system as soon as possible, especially that the new kernel version is live in the stable repositories.
To update, simply open a terminal emulator and run the "sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade" command. Once the new kernel version has been installed, you'll have to reboot your computer. When you get back, run the "uname -a" command in the terminal emulator to see if the new kernel is 3.16.39-1+deb8u1. If so, you should rest assured that your Debian GNU/Linux machine is safe and secure. Always keep your PCs up to date!