Enable Automatic Security Updates on Ubuntu Server - A Guide

Automating Security Updates on Ubuntu Servers

For system administrators, the daily task of applying security updates across numerous servers can be remarkably time-consuming. Fortunately, Ubuntu provides a mechanism to automate the installation of stable security updates, significantly reducing potential vulnerabilities.

The process is initiated with a single command executed on your server:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades

Should the system report that the required package is not currently installed, precede the above command with this installation instruction:

sudo apt install unattended-upgrades

Administrators already logged in as the root user may omit the use of sudo.

Upon execution of the command, a configuration screen will appear. This screen will prompt for confirmation to proceed.

The system will then inquire whether you wish to enable the automatic download and installation of stable updates. Selecting 'Yes' will activate this feature.

Following your confirmation, the necessary configuration files will be written. This establishes automated security updates. It’s important to note that updates are checked for daily by default.

Therefore, any pending security updates won't be applied instantaneously upon enabling this setting. However, the need for manual security patching should be largely eliminated.