Tails Issues Urgent Update to Patch Actively Exploited Tor Browser Flaw

The developers of the anonymous operating system Tails have released an urgent update, version 6.8.1, which addresses a critical security vulnerability in the Tor browser.

The key change is the update of Tor Browser to version 13.5.7, which fixes vulnerability MFSA 2024-51, associated with a Use-After-Free memory issue. This flaw allows attackers to gain full control over the browser, and according to Mozilla, it is already being actively exploited in attacks on Tor Browser users.

The update to Tails 6.8.1 is available via auto-update starting from version 6.0 and higher. If the automatic update fails or if there are issues when launching Tails, the developers recommend performing a manual system update.

It is also possible to install Tails 6.8.1 on a new USB drive. Step-by-step installation instructions are provided for Windows, macOS, Linux, or via the command line in Debian and Ubuntu using GnuPG. However, it is important to note that installing on a USB drive instead of updating will result in the loss of all data in the persistent storage.