Thunderbird 78.8.0 security update is out

[harlan4096]

Thunderbird 78.8.0 has been released on February 23, 2021. The release schedule of the email client follows that of the Firefox web browser as code is shared between the two browsers. It is often the case that both products are affected by the same security vulnerabilities, and that security patches are released for both around the same time.

The new version of Thunderbird 78.8.0 is available already. Users should see it being installed automatically in client versions provided that automatic updates are enabled. To verify the installed version of the email client, select Help > About Thunderbird (if the menu bar is not displayed, press Alt on the keyboard to show it). The menu displays the version and runs a check for updates. The latest version of Thunderbird can also be downloaded directly from the project website. The downloaded file can then be installed manually to upgrade existing installations, or to install Thunderbird anew or for the first time.

The security advisory page lists four distinct security vulnerabilities that have been patched in Thunderbird 78.8. Three of the four received a severity rating of high, one a rating of low. High is the second highest rating after critical.

Thunderbird 78.8.0 includes several bug fixes but no new features next to that. The release notes highlight the following changes:

• fixed an issue that created an error when importing an address book from a CSV file.
  
• fixed security information not being displayed correctly before a s/MIME message was saved as a draft.
  
• fixed FileLINK user interface in CalDAV calendars.
  
• fixed that recurring tasks were always displayed as incomplete and that filters could not be used.
  
• fixes to "various UI widgets" that did not work correctly.
  
• dark theme improvements
  
• the extension manager did not have a link to the support web page for add-ons.
  

The Thunderbird team outlined its plans for the email client recently. Many major updates will be introduced in Thunderbird 91, which will be released later this year.

Now You: what would you like to see in future releases?
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