Key Takeaways
1. Tails originated from the merger of Amnesia and Incognito, focusing on protecting users from online spying.
2. The latest update, Tails 7.5, includes significant changes in managing Mozilla Thunderbird and updates to the Tor Browser and Tor client.
3. Users enabling Additional Software and Thunderbird with Persistent Storage will benefit from improved security and automatic updates.
4. Thunderbird will no longer be included by default starting from Tails version 7.8, expected in May 2026.
5. Tails 7.5 now includes language packs for Mexican Spanish and Spanish from Spain, with ISO and USB drive images available for download.
Incognito, a now-defunct Gentoo-based distribution, made its debut in the middle of 2009. What we know today as “The Amnesic Incognito Live System,” commonly called Tails, originated from the merger of Amnesia and Incognito. This project has always been focused on providing top-notch protection against online spying. Built on Debian and offered in more than 30 languages, it connects to the internet solely through the Tor network. Initially, the Tor Project, along with the Freedom of the Press Foundation, the Open Technology Fund, and Mozilla, provided financial backing for Tails.
New Updates
The first update since version 7.4.2 was released two weeks ago, on February 11th. The latest Tails 7.5 introduces several notable changes, with the most significant being the way it manages Mozilla Thunderbird. Other key updates include the Tor Browser, now at version 15.0.7, which has a more user-friendly home page. The Tor client has been updated to version 0.4.9.5, and Thunderbird has reached version 140.7.1. However, there is a downside: Mozilla usually launches new versions of its email client just days after Tails, meaning users of this secure system often end up with an outdated version that might have security vulnerabilities.
Enhanced Security
Tails 7.5 offers improved security compared to earlier releases for users who enable Additional Software and Thunderbird with Persistent Storage. With this setup, the newest version of the email client will be automatically installed every time Tails starts up.
When Tails successfully installs Thunderbird as additional software, users will see the Thunderbird Migration dialog. This window also indicates the anticipated release date for Tails 7.8, which is set for May 2026, and notes that Thunderbird will no longer be included by default from that version onward.
Additional Features
In addition to the features already mentioned, Thunderbird now comes with a language pack for both Mexican Spanish and the Spanish spoken in Spain.
The ISO image has a size of 1.9 GB, while the USB drive image is 2 GB. Both can be downloaded from this page, which also offers installation guides and various technical specifications.
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