Ubuntu Rolls Back Broken Pip Update

A security patch for pip on major Ubuntu LTS releases has been reverted after causing a significant regression that broke the tool for developers.

Canonical has reverted a recent security patch for pip, the Python package manager, on Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, and 26.04 LTS. The original update, USN-8344-1, was intended to fix several vulnerabilities, including one identified as CVE-2025-66471. However, this specific patch introduced a severe regression that caused pip to stop working correctly, disrupting developer workflows. To restore functionality, Ubuntu has temporarily rolled back the problematic patch while its developers investigate the root cause of the failure. The original vulnerability was related to how pip handled TLS certificate verification.

This rollback presents a direct trade-off for developers, security teams, and IT administrators. While pip is now operational again on the affected systems, the denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerability (CVE-2025-66471) that the patch was designed to fix is now re-exposed. This situation directly impacts CI/CD pipelines, development environments, and the overall security posture of any infrastructure relying on these popular Ubuntu LTS versions. Teams must now balance the immediate need for a functional package manager against the re-introduced security risk until a permanent, stable fix is available.

The rollback forces a choice between a functional Python package manager and a known security vulnerability on major Ubuntu LTS releases, impacting developer productivity and security posture.

Development and deployment pipelines may be disrupted, and systems are re-exposed to a denial-of-service vulnerability. This requires security and engineering teams to assess their risk and monitor for a permanent fix, potentially delaying projects or requiring manual workarounds.