Debian upgrade hones security

The Debian Project has released an update to its popular GNU/Linux distribution, with security-related bug fixes a key feature.

"This is the first update of Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 (code name "Sarge") which mainly adds security updates to the stable release, along with some corrections to serious problems," said Debian security team member Martin Schulze in an email announcing the update.

Schulze said systems administrators who regularly updated their Debian-based systems with security patches would not have to update much software.

The update contains fixes for 172 pieces of software, including high-profile entries like spam-buster SpamAssassin, Web browser Mozilla Firefox and its sister project the Thunderbird email client, the PHP and Python scripting languages, Web server Apache and anti-virus software ClamAV, in addition to the Linux kernel.

An update to file-sharing software Samba may aid in maintaining data integrity.

The update comes at the end of a mixed year for Debian on security. The group suffered several setbacks relating to ongoing security support after it ended a three-year wait and released the long-anticipated new version of its GNU/Linux offering back in June.

Since that time, however, Debian has addressed its security record, with its elected leader Branden Robinson informing the Debian-using community that Debian had resolved problems with the infrastructure and would investigate the internal processes by which security updates get released.