Among the many Linux distributions that we have at our fingertips to install on our computers, Ubuntu is undoubtedly one of the most widespread. Little by little it has been gaining enormous popularity among users, both experts and those with less knowledge of these operating systems.
In addition, we have several editions and versions that we can download and install on our computers, such as LTS, which offers us various advantages related to its maintenance. Specifically, we are referring to the Long Term Support versions that Canonical has presented to us for Ubuntu for some time now.
Well, if you are one of those who take advantage of these versions of the system with long-term support, you should take into consideration what we are going to tell you. And at this time the software development company has set the goal that Ubuntu 20.04 LTS users update as the end of its useful life approaches.
And keep in mind that despite its LTS nature, this version 20.04 of Ubuntu only has four months left to live. That is, after that time you will no longer receive security updates, so the best thing we can do is update to a more recent version of the operating system.
In fact, the firm has now issued a warning to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS users to update before their system runs out of support. An alternative option is to use the Extended Security Maintenance, available as part of the Ubuntu Pro subscription. But of course, we must keep in mind that this is a modality especially suitable for companies, since it is paid.
Canonical helps you update Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
While companies with many machines using this version of Ubuntu will have to pay, individual users who want to activate ESM will be able to do so on up to five machines. However, there is no doubt that this is not the most interesting alternative for most end users.
For this reason, customers who use this version of Ubuntu, which we have mentioned, should update to the latest version as soon as possible. As Canonical itself informs us at this time, it is crucial to plan the next steps. If we work with Ubuntu 20.04 without ESM, we will stop receiving security updates starting next April 2025.
Basically, this means that we would be working with a vulnerable computer, putting all our data at risk. As it could not be otherwise, the operating system development company itself tries to help us when updating Ubuntu. In this way, from its own website it gives us the precise instructions to get a newer version of Ubuntu, both in its desktop and server versions.
We must take into consideration that working with an operating system that does not receive security updates poses a serious risk to all our data, even if we are talking about Linux. Malicious actors are on the lookout for these situations to try to access vulnerable computers, something we must avoid at all costs.
