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11 November 2011, 16:21

Two new kernels for Ubuntu 10.04 LTS

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Ubuntu logo Canonical is distributing two new kernels – 2.6.32-35 and 2.6.38-12 – for Ubuntu 10.04 LTS via the Ubuntu repositories. Kernel 2.6.32, the kernel used when Ubuntu 10.04 LTS was first released in April 2010, remains the default kernel.

The newly released update fixes a number of security vulnerabilities which can be exploited to cause the kernel to crash, disable the system or steal data. Two of the bugs corrected in kernel 2.6.32-35, affecting the Bluetooth and CIFS implementations, can be exploited by an attacker to execute code with root privileges.

Canonical has also updated its backport of kernel 2.6.38 from Ubuntu 11.04, released in April 2011, to the standard repository. This kernel also contains a number of security updates, without which an attacker could obtain root privileges on a system.

Taking the step of offering an updated kernel via the standard repositories is unusual – long term support Ubuntu releases are normally only maintained over the five year support period, with no new functionality being added which should, at least, leave the kernel ABI untouched. The changes merged into kernel 2.6.32-35 also mean changes to the standard kernel's ABI though, so that taking the step up to a higher kernel version is not as major a hurdle.

While Ubuntu 10.04 users will automatically be offered kernel 2.6.32-35 via the update system, version 2.6.38-12 has to be installed manually using the package manager.

(djwm)

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