Today, June 28, 2016, Debian Project, through Salvatore Bonaccorso, published details about a major Linux kernel security update for the Debian GNU/Linux 8 "Jessie" operating system.
According to Debian Security Advisory DSA-3607-1, this is a major kernel update that patches the Linux 3.16 LTS kernel packages of the current stable Debian GNU/Linux release, codename Jessie. It appears that a total of 21 kernel vulnerabilities have been discovered and fixed, and users are urged to update to kernel 3.16.7-ckt25-2+deb8u2 immediately.
"Several vulnerabilities have been discovered in the Linux kernel that may lead to a privilege escalation, denial of service or information leaks," reads the security notice. "For the stable distribution (Jessie), these problems have been fixed in version 3.16.7-ckt25-2+deb8u2. We recommend that you upgrade your linux packages."
Please update your Debian GNU/Linux installation as soon as possible
Debian Project urges all users of the Debian GNU/Linux 8 "Jessie" operating system to update their kernel packages to version 3.16.7-ckt25-2+deb8u2. The new kernel version is now live in the main software repositories of the distribution, so all you have to do is to fire up a terminal emulator or your favorite GUI package manager and install all the available updates.
Debian developers are always providing up-to-date information about Debian Security Advisories at https://www.debian.org/security/, so we recommend visiting that page to learn how to apply these security updates on your system, as well as for any other questions you might have.
To see what kernel vulnerabilities have been fixed in this major update, feel free to study the CVEs attached to today's security notice (link above). Don't forget to reboot your computer after a kernel update, and always remember to keep your Debian installation up-to-date by checking for updates at least twice a week.
