Tails 7.7 brings some concrete updates for users of this privacy-focused live operating system.

The most significant change involves Secure Boot. Microsoft has been gradually replacing boot certificates issued back in 2011, and the old ones expire starting in June 2026. On machines that haven’t been updated, this could prevent Tails from booting. Version 7.7 adds a visible warning that alerts users to the situation in advance, giving them time to update their computer’s firmware before it becomes a real problem.

A non-trivial security fix

Version 7.7 also fixes a permissions issue on the /root directory.

Other improvements include exFAT format support, handy for those using USB drives or memory cards formatted with this now-common standard. Tor Browser gets bumped to 15.0.10 and Thunderbird to 140.9.1.

Automatic updates are available for users running Tails 7.0 or newer.