Extended Security Maintenance

Security updates for Ubuntu LTS for additional 3-5 years

Continue to receive security updates for the Ubuntu base OS, critical software packages and infrastructure components with Extended Security Maintenance (ESM). Depending upon the LTS release, ESM provides three to five additional years of security maintenance.

ESM is available through an Ubuntu Advantage for Infrastructure subscription for physical fun88体育s, virtual machines, containers and desktops, and is free for personal use. Ubuntu Pro premium images are optimised for the public cloud, and provide security maintenance for high and critical CVEs for the entire collection of software packages shipped with Ubuntu.

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Interana uses ESM while planning public cloud upgrades to 18.04

Due to the large amounts of customer data that Interana handles, ensuring that security was tight was a priority. Rather than rush the upgrade from Ubuntu 14.04LTS, which would have been a major inconvenience for its customers, Interana turned to Canonical and ESM.

TIM maintains system security and client confidence with ESM

To ensure the ongoing security of Ubuntu 14.04 LTS machines, ESM provided TIM, the world's largest trade recommendations network, the freedom to upgrade within their own timeframe. This approach saved time and money for this finserv organisation.

Is Ubuntu 16.04 LTS still supported beyond April 2021?

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS will still be supported beyond its free initial five-year maintenance period in April 2021, as it transitions to the extended security maintenance phase - with three additional years of security ensured.

Learn more about Ubuntu 16.04 LTS moving to ESM ›

Free for personal use

Canonical provides Ubuntu Advantage Essential subscriptions, which include ESM, free of charge for individuals on up to 3 machines. For our community of Ubuntu members we will gladly increase that to 50 machines.

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What's covered?

ESM continues security updates for high and critical CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures).

Released	Coverage
Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (Trusty Tahr)	The Ubuntu base OS and scale-out infrastructure 64-bit x86 architecture
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) ›	The Ubuntu base OS and scale-out infrastructure s390x, arm64, x86-64 architectures

ESM on Azure, AWS and Google Cloud with Ubuntu Pro

If you are running Ubuntu 16.04 LTS images on the public cloud and are looking for continued security coverage with ESM, it is recommended to launch new, Ubuntu Pro images for Azure, AWS and Google Cloud. Ubuntu Pro images are paid, premium images that are optimised and priced for the cloud, with security and compliance features built in.

Learn more about Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS on Azure | AWS | Google Cloud

Common questions

Do all levels of Ubuntu Advantage for Infrastructure have access to Ubuntu ESM?

Yes. Ubuntu ESM is available for UA-I Essential, Standard and Advanced customers. For more information on levels please visit our pricing page. Existing UA customers can retrieve their credentials through the Ubuntu Advantage portal.

How can we ensure the security of our Ubuntu systems after the end of Standard Security Maintenance?

To ensure security continuity when a particular release reaches the end of its Standard Security Maintenance window, sign up for Ubuntu Advantage for free on up to 3 machines or through a paid subscription for enterprise use.

Learn more about release dates and maintenance cadences ›

How long will Ubuntu ESM be maintained?

This depends on the release. Ubuntu 14.04 (Trusty Tahr) and 16.04 (Xenial Xerus) will have updates provided for up to three years after the end of the Standard Security Maintenance window. Ubuntu 18.04 (Bionic Beaver) and subsequent releases until further announcement will have ESM updates provided for up to five years.

Release	ESM Duration	End of Life
Ubuntu 14.04 (Trusty Tahr)	3 years	April 2022
Ubuntu 16.04 (Xenial Xerus)	3 years	April 2024
Ubuntu 18.04 (Bionic Beaver)	5 years	April 2028
Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal Fossa)	5 years	April 2030

Is it possible to purchase Ubuntu ESM months down the road when needed, with or without backdating the cost, or does it need to be in place in advance?

You can purchase Ubuntu Advantage support at any time. It does not need to be in place in advance, although we strongly recommend you eliminate the gap between when Ubuntu ESM is enabled on your system(s), to avoid exposing your systems to security vulnerabilities. Ubuntu Advantage is priced year-over-year so there is no backdating.

We're mirroring the repository on our internal Landscape fun88体育. Can we still get Ubuntu ESM if using Landscape?

ESM is just a regular Ubuntu archive, but authenticated and served over HTTPS. Archive mirroring is already available in Landscape and is a supported mechanism for mirroring the ESM archive.

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS moving to Extended Security Maintenance period

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Xenial Xerus transitions to the extended security maintenance (ESM) period April 2021. Register for our webinar to learn about the ESM period and six key considerations when assessing and planning your migration path.

Watch the webinar

Secure your Ubuntu estate

If you would like to discuss ESM or Ubuntu Advantage please get in touch.

Try Landscape for free

At just 1¢ per machine hour, you can use Landscape without subscribing to Ubuntu Advantage. Sign-up today and get a $100 free credit that is good for up to 60 days and see the features for yourself.

Contact us today

Landscape is part of the Ubuntu Advantage service package, delivered by Canonical. To talk to a member of our team about the benefits it could bring to your organisation.

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