Linux kernel 4.8 has just received the 12th maintenance update. The new update comes just five days after the release of kernel 4.8.11.
Although Linux 4.8.12 kernel is not a major update, it is still recommended for users of 4.8 kernel series to perform the upgrade. The new version packs architecture improvements for PA-RISC, Tile, PowerPC and x86 machines.
In an official announcement, Linux kernel maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman urges all the users to upgrade to 4.8.12. Kroah-Hartman mentions that the kernel comes with upgraded drivers of DAX, SCSI, IOMMU, MMC, USB and Intel PowerClamp. As far as the security fixes are concerned, the latest version packages improved AppArmor changes and few kernel-based virtual machine fixes.
Some of the key Linux distro vendors are yet to package even 4.8.11 for end users. Meanwhile, power users can download the latest kernel source and perform the upgrade themselves from kernel.org. You can also expect most GNU and Linux distributions to package kernel 4.8.12 and push it to their repositories in next few days.
