The team responsible for the Tails security-oriented GNU/Linux distribution which is Debian-based aim to maintain internet privacy and anonymity. They’ve made a call for testing Tails 6.0, the upcoming major release which is based on Debian Bookworm.
The extant Tails 5 series runs on Debian GNU/Linux 11 “Bullseye”, it was about time for the upgrade of this renowned security and privacy-centric distro to the newest Debian operating system series. It would now be based on Debian GNU/Linux 12 “Bookworm” This would include a newer version of the GNOME desktop environment, GNOME 43.
Besides the rebase on Debian Bookworm, Tails 6.0 will also have several new features like a defense against harmful USB devices. This would be possible through a novel mechanism that disregards any USB device that’s connected to your computer while the screen is locked. New USB devices would only work when the screen is unlocked.
Yet another novel feature awaited in Tails 6.0 is the capacity to automatically mount external devices, in addition to prompting users to unlock the storage device if it harbors an encrypted partition.
Thanks to the upgrade to the GNOME 43 desktop environment series, Tails 6.0 will also offer dark mode and Night Light features, as well as easier screenshots and screencasts with GNOME’s built-in screenshot tool.
Other than that, Tails 6.0 will come with an updated Persistent Storage feature that now generates suggested passphrases in Catalan, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish languages, and an updated Mozilla Thunderbird email client that offers easier configuration of Gmail accounts.
Of course, most of the software included in Tails 6.0 will be updated to the latest versions from the Debian Bookworm repositories. As mentioned before, the Tails devs plan to officially release Tails 6.0 later this month on February 27th, 2024.
Until then, you can test drive the first development version by downloading the ISO or USB images from the release announcement page. However, please try to keep in mind that this is a pre-release version, so don’t use it for any production work.
Last updated 12 hours ago