关于无需Ubuntu Pro订阅即可应用USN-6154-1 Vim漏洞修复方案的咨询

Hi Daniel, no need to stress—you’ve got a few solid options to apply this Vim patch without an Ubuntu Pro subscription, depending on which version of Ubuntu your EC2 instances are running. Let’s start with a quick check to confirm your Ubuntu version, since that’s the key factor here:

Run this command in your instance’s terminal:

lsb_release -a

Or if that fails, try:

cat /etc/os-release

If your Ubuntu version is still in standard free support (e.g., 22.04 LTS, 20.04 LTS) #

Versions like 20.04 (supported until 2025) and 22.04 (supported until 2027) get free security updates from Ubuntu’s official repositories—you don’t need Pro at all. The confusion might come from misinterpreting the security notice or having a misconfigured software source. Here’s how to apply the fix:

1. Refresh your package cache to pull the latest update information:

   sudo apt update
   

2. Either upgrade just the Vim package to the patched version:

   sudo apt install --only-upgrade vim
   

3. Or do a full system upgrade to patch all vulnerable packages (this is the more thorough approach):

   sudo apt full-upgrade
   

If you see errors referencing Ubuntu Pro, check your source files in /etc/apt/sources.list and /etc/apt/sources.list.d/—comment out any lines that mention "pro" and restore the standard Ubuntu repositories if needed.

If your Ubuntu version is end-of-life (EOL) (e.g., 18.04 LTS or older) #

If your version is no longer eligible for free community updates, you’ve got three paths:

• Recommended: Upgrade to a supported Ubuntu version
  This is the safest long-term solution, as it ensures you’ll keep receiving security patches for all software, not just Vim. Here’s a simplified walkthrough:
  1. First, bring your current system up to date with any remaining available updates:

     sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade
     

  2. Run Ubuntu’s official upgrade tool:

     sudo do-release-upgrade
     

  3. Follow the on-screen prompts—your instance will restart a few times, so be sure to back up any critical data before starting!
• Manual compile the patched Vim version
  If you can’t upgrade right now, you can build Vim from the latest stable source code (which includes the vulnerability fix). It’s a bit technical, but manageable:
  1. Install the tools required to compile software:

     sudo apt install build-essential git libncurses5-dev libgtk2.0-dev libatk1.0-dev libcairo2-dev libx11-dev libxpm-dev libxt-dev python3-dev ruby-dev lua5.2 liblua5.2-dev libperl-dev
     

  2. Clone the official Vim stable repository to get the patched code:

     git clone https://github.com/vim/vim.git
     

  3. Navigate to the source code directory:

     cd vim/src
     

  4. Configure the build settings (this uses a common feature set—stick with defaults unless you have specific needs):

     ./configure --with-features=huge --enable-multibyte --enable-python3interp --enable-rubyinterp --enable-luainterp --enable-perlinterp
     

  5. Compile the code:

     make
     

  6. Install the patched Vim over your existing system version:

     sudo make install
     

• Third-party non-official sources (not recommended)
  Some community groups maintain unofficial update sources for EOL Ubuntu versions, but these aren’t vetted by Ubuntu’s security team. Using them could introduce unforeseen risks, so this should only be a last resort if you can’t upgrade or compile.

If you’re not comfortable with compiling code, upgrading to a supported version is definitely the way to go—it’ll save you from future patch headaches too.

备注：内容来源于stack exchange，提问作者Daniel