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[ARTICLE · art-162535] src=chalmovsky.com ↗ pub= topic=ai-safety verified=true sentiment=↓ negative

WTF Ubuntu?

Ubuntu, the Linux distribution sold by Canonical, had not shipped a patch for CVE-2026-98432 — a CVSS 9.8 kernel TCP flaw present since 2016 that Anthropic says it exploited to gain root on a server — as of 2026-11-02 14:48 UTC, more than two weeks after Debian patched the bug on October 16. Every supported Ubuntu release, LTS included, was still listed as "Vulnerable" nine days after the 9.8 rating and six days after a working root exploit was demonstrated, despite Ubuntu's website promising "timely patches for critical vulnerabilities." The author says they have taken their Ubuntu servers offline and is moving all servers off the distribution, while volunteer-run distros including Debian, Arch and Alpine had shipped the fix.

read1 min views1 publishedNov 2, 2026

2026-11-02 What the fuck, Ubuntu?

In case you missed it: CVE-2026-98432 is a critical (CVSS 9.8) bug in the Linux kernel's TCP code. It's been there since 2016, so virtually every Linux server on the planet has it, and it can be hit remotely. Anthropic says it built a working exploit that gets root on a server. A total takeover.

Debian patched it on October 16. Ubuntu still doesn't have a patch more than two weeks later. Every supported release, LTS included, is listed as "Vulnerable".

Ubuntu's website promises "timely patches for critical vulnerabilities." Ubuntu hasn't shipped the patch nine days after it was rated 9.8 and six days after a working root exploit. Very fucking timely indeed.

Software is full of this blabber where words mean nothing. Ubuntu uses words like these: "Timely." "Enterprise-grade." "Production grade." "Enterprise resilience. Developer velocity. Build with confidence on Ubuntu."

Somebody, or perhaps worse, some special team at Canonical is dedicated to writing these........

So I'm asking again... What the fuck, Ubuntu?

I'm moving all my servers off Ubuntu. I've completely lost trust in it. On the desktop I always hated it anyway. On servers I mostly used it because it's the default on most VPS providers, and I considered it the solid, no-drama LTS distro. Fuck that now.

I can't express how crazy this is. I didn't have time to migrate my services and data when I learned about this, so I had to take all my servers that run Ubuntu offline.

Oh and btw, distros run by volunteers (Debian, Arch, Alpine...) hve shipped the fix. Meanwhile Ubuntu, made by a company that sells security subscriptions, hasn't. This is true as of 2026-11-02 14:48 UTC.

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