The next major update to Ubuntu will fix a bug that has been around for more than a decade. The bug was submitted as early as 2006, and now it is finally marked as fixed by Alex Murray, the head of Ubuntu security technology at canonical.

Unlike many other distributions, Ubuntu creates a user home directory with multiple world writable permissions by default. Murray marked this issue at the end of last year. He believes that Ubuntu currently has a large number of customers and user groups in the field of public cloud and server. For them, the world readable home directory is more like footgun than a qualified function.

Initially in 2006, it was thought that the world writable home directory could make Ubuntu more convenient in a multi-user environment, because it made it easier for multiple users to share files on a shared desktop. However, as Murray explains, such permissions can be disastrous in today's interconnected environment.

Since there is no objection to this change, Murray said it will be deployed to the upcoming version of Ubuntu 21.04. With the release of Ubuntu 21.04, newly created users will not be able to be read by the world, but they can be changed by the user / administrator if necessary.