Release SecureDrop 2.14.0

[zenmonkeykstop]

This is a tracking issue for the release of SecureDrop 2.14.0

Tentatively scheduled as follows:

Pre-release announcement: 2026-02-05
Release date: 2026-02-12

Release manager: @zenmonkeykstop
Deputy release manager: @legoktm
Localization manager: TK
Communications manager: @jskinne3

SecureDrop maintainers and testers: As you QA 2.14.0, please report back your testing results as comments on this ticket. File GitHub issues for any problems found, tag them "QA: Release".

Test debian packages will be posted on https://apt-test.freedom.press signed with the test key.

QA Matrix for 2.14.0

Test Plan for 2.14.0

Prepare release candidate (2.14.0~rc1)

• Link to latest version of Tails, including release candidates, to test against during QA
• Prepare 2.14.0~rc1 server and admin release changelog
• Branch off release/2.14.0 from develop
• Prepare 2.14.0-rc1
• Build server and admin debs, preserving build logs, and put up 2.14.0~rc1 on test apt server
• Commit build log.

After each test, please update the QA matrix and post details for Basic Server Testing, Application Acceptance Testing and release-specific testing below in comments to this ticket.

Final release

• Push signed tag
• Build final Debian packages(and preserve build logs)
• Commit package build logs to https://github.com/freedomofpress/build-logs
• Pre-Flight: Test that install and upgrade from 2.13.10 to 2.14.0 works w/ prod repo debs (apt-qa.freedom.press polls the release branch in the LFS repo for the debs)
• Pre-Flight: Test securedrop-admin package upgrade logic in Tails (apt-qa tracks the release branch in the LFS repo)
• Flip apt QA server to prod status (merge to main in the LFS repo)
• Merge Docs branch changes to main and verify new docs build in securedrop-docs repo
• Prepare release messaging

Post release

• Create GitHub release object
• Once release object is created, update versions in securedrop-docs and Wagtail
• Verify new docs show up on https://docs.securedrop.org
• Publish announcements
• Merge changelog back to develop
• Update roadmap wiki page: https://github.com/freedomofpress/securedrop/wiki/Development-Roadmap

[nathandyer]

Environment

• Install target: NUC13 (app) and NUC12 (mon)
• Tails version: 7.4.1
• Test Scenario:
  • fresh install - server and tails
  • server upgrade from 2.130, tails admin and journalist workstation update
• SSH over Tor?: No
• Tor PoW enabled?: Yes
• Release candidate: 2.14.0-rc1
• General notes:

Basic Server Testing

• Testinfra tests are passing against production servers after installation:
  • run the following:

    cd Persistent/securedrop
    sudo apt install -y python3.13-venv
    python3 -m venv admin/.venv3 && source admin/.venv3/bin/activate
    torify pip install -r admin/requirements-testinfra.txt
    TEST_ENV=prod devops/scripts/run_prod_testinfra
    

  • verify that tests pass.
• QA Matrix checks pass

Command Line User Generation

• Can successfully add admin user and login

(Optional) Administration

• I have backed up and successfully restored the app server following the backup documentation
• If doing upgrade testing, make a backup on 2.13.0 (workstation version) and restore this backup on this release candidate, verifying that the Redis password in /etc/redis/redis.conf changes
• "Send Test OSSEC Alert" button in the journalist triggers an OSSEC alert and an email is sent
• Can successfully add journalist account with HOTP authentication

(Optional after first pass) Application Acceptance Testing

Source Interface

Landing page base cases

• JS warning bar does not appear when using Security Slider high
• JS warning bar does appear when using Security Slider Low

First submission base cases

• On generate page, refreshing page produces a new 7-word codename
• On submit page, empty submissions produce flashed message
• On submit page, short message submitted successfully
• On submit page, file greater than 500 MB produces "The connection was reset" in Tor Browser quickly before the entire file is uploaded
• On submit page, file less than 500 MB submitted successfully

Returning source base cases

• Nonexistent codename cannot log in
• Empty codename cannot log in
• Legitimate codename can log in
• Returning user can view journalist replies - need to log into journalist interface to test

Journalist Interface

Login base cases

• Can log in with 2FA tokens
• incorrect password cannot log in
• invalid 2fa token cannot log in
• 2fa immediate reuse cannot log in
• Journalist account with HOTP can log in

Index base cases

• Filter by codename works
• Starring and unstarring works
• Click select all selects all submissions
• Selecting all and clicking "Download" works

Individual source page

• You can submit a reply and a flashed message and new row appears
• You cannot submit an empty reply
• Clicking "Delete Source Account" and the source and docs are deleted
• You can click on a document and successfully decrypt using application private key

2.14.0 release-specific changes

Update Source Interface warning banner to refer to modern mobile browsers (#7751)

• Open the SI in Tor Browser for Android (or fake it with a UA-changing web extension) and verify that the

Partial Fail, see comment below

Ensure KeePassXC is installed with securedrop-admin (#7762)

Note: you can override production settings in the securedrop-admin install script by creating a file ~/securedrop_bootstrap.env with contents:

APT_REPO_URL="https://apt-test.freedom.press"
APT_SIGNING_KEY_FILE="apt-test-signing-key.pub"

For upgrades, you'll need to edit the apt source config and add the test release key via apt-key add instead.

Upgrade (current Tails)

• Verify that securedrop-admin is upgraded on session start (this may take a few mins for background apt tasks)
• verify that KeePassXC is still accessible via the Tails menu and SecureDrop menu.
• verify that the sample database can be found at /usr/share/securedrop-admin/keepassxc

[nathandyer]

I noticed some potentially strange behavior with the Tor Browser banner, using Tor Browser in Android downloaded directly from their website.

Because of the size of my screen (it's adaptive, and I'm using Waydroid to test), when I first visit the page it does not present the banner. This is because TB in Android automatically turns on "Desktop Mode" when the window size is beyond a certain threshold.

After turning "Desktop Mode" to off, but making no other changes, I do see the banner.

I know this is a bit of an edge case, but probably not too much - Android tablets are somewhat popular, and it's feasible that someone might be trying to submit to an SD using one, in which case this scenario would likely apply.

Is this the expected behavior?

[nathandyer]

It's also worth flagging that when that banner appears, the warning about the Tor Browser security level is not displayed. Is that intended as well?

[zenmonkeykstop]

The desktop mode thing is expected, IIRC it basically sends a fake desktop UA so there's no way to distinguish it. If you can constrain waydroid to use the mobile UA or just resize it to match a mobile screen that might be a more useful test.

IIRC the banner logic didn't change so we only display the single most relevant one. So that's an existing issue as well if you think it should behave differently.

[ChumOfChance]

so far...

2.14.0 QA Checklist

For both upgrades and fresh installs, here is a list of functionality that requires testing. You can use this for copy/pasting into your QA report.

If you have submitted a QA report already for a release candidate with successful basic server testing and application acceptance testing sections, then you can skip these sections in subsequent reports, unless otherwise indicated by the Release Manager. This is to ensure that you focus your QA effort on the release-specific changes as well as changes since the previous release candidate.

Notes:

Environment

• Install target:
• Tails version: 7.4.2
• Test Scenario:
  • fresh install - server and tails
  • server upgrade from 2.130, tails admin and journalist workstation update
• SSH over Tor?: No
• Tor PoW enabled?: yes
• Release candidate: rc1
• General notes:

Basic Server Testing

• Testinfra tests are passing against production servers after installation:
  • run the following:

    cd Persistent/securedrop
    sudo apt install -y python3.13-venv
    python3 -m venv admin/.venv3 && source admin/.venv3/bin/activate
    torify pip install -r admin/requirements-testinfra.txt
    TEST_ENV=prod devops/scripts/run_prod_testinfra
    

  • verify that tests pass.
• QA Matrix checks pass

Command Line User Generation

• Can successfully add admin user and login

(Optional) Administration

• I have backed up and successfully restored the app server following the backup documentation
• If doing upgrade testing, make a backup on 2.13.0 (workstation version) and restore this backup on this release candidate, verifying that the Redis password in /etc/redis/redis.conf changes
• "Send Test OSSEC Alert" button in the journalist triggers an OSSEC alert and an email is sent
• Can successfully add journalist account with HOTP authentication

(Optional after first pass) Application Acceptance Testing

Source Interface

Landing page base cases

• JS warning bar does not appear when using Security Slider high
• JS warning bar does appear when using Security Slider Low

First submission base cases

• On generate page, refreshing page produces a new 7-word codename
• On submit page, empty submissions produce flashed message
• On submit page, short message submitted successfully
• On submit page, file greater than 500 MB produces "The connection was reset" in Tor Browser quickly before the entire file is uploaded
• On submit page, file less than 500 MB submitted successfully

Returning source base cases

• Nonexistent codename cannot log in
• Empty codename cannot log in
• Legitimate codename can log in
• Returning user can view journalist replies - need to log into journalist interface to test

Journalist Interface

Login base cases

• Can log in with 2FA tokens
• incorrect password cannot log in
• invalid 2fa token cannot log in
• 2fa immediate reuse cannot log in
• Journalist account with HOTP can log in

Index base cases

• Filter by codename works
• Starring and unstarring works
• Click select all selects all submissions
• Selecting all and clicking "Download" works

Individual source page

• You can submit a reply and a flashed message and new row appears
• You cannot submit an empty reply
• Clicking "Delete Source Account" and the source and docs are deleted
• You can click on a document and successfully decrypt using application private key

2.14.0 release-specific changes

Update Source Interface warning banner to refer to modern mobile browsers (#7751)

• Open the SI in Tor Browser for Android (or fake it with a UA-changing web extension) and verify that the

Ensure KeePassXC is installed with securedrop-admin (#7762)

Note: you can override production settings in the securedrop-admin install script by creating a file ~/securedrop_bootstrap.env with contents:

APT_REPO_URL="https://apt-test.freedom.press"
APT_SIGNING_KEY_FILE="apt-test-signing-key.pub"

For upgrades, you'll need to edit the apt source config and add the test release key via apt-key add instead.

Fresh install (simulated Tails without keepassxc)

• before installing securedrop-admin, remove the keepassxc package: sudo apt remove keepassxc-minimal, then verify that it is reinstalled with the securedrop-admin package.
• verify that KeePassXC is still accessible via the Tails menu and SecureDrop menu.
• verify that the sample database can be found at /usr/share/securedrop-admin/keepassxc

Fresh install (current Tails)

• Install securedrop-admin and verify that the package installation completes successfully and KeePassXC is still available
• verify that KeePassXC is still accessible via the Tails menu and SecureDrop menu.
• verify that the sample database can be found at /usr/share/securedrop-admin/keepassxc

Upgrade (current Tails)

• Verify that securedrop-admin is upgraded on session start (this may take a few mins for background apt tasks)
• verify that KeePassXC is still accessible via the Tails menu and SecureDrop menu.
• verify that the sample database can be found at /usr/share/securedrop-admin/keepassxc

Preflight testing

Basic testing

• Install or upgrade occurs without error (from apt-qa.freedom.press per preflight procedure)
• Source interface is available and version string indicates it is 2.14.0
• A message can be successfully submitted

Tails

• securedrop-admin is available on session start
• If testing an upgrade, securedrop-admin is upgraded automatically to the current version.

[ChumOfChance]

Almost all Testinfra tests fail:

424 failed, 2 passed, 8 skipped, 4 xfailed in 6.61s

All the failures report ValueError: s argument must not be None

Two passed tests:
common/test_platform.py::test_ansible_version on app and mon respectively.

[nathandyer]

Exact same results here, log attached

testinfraoutput.log

[zenmonkeykstop]

Almost all Testinfra tests fail:

424 failed, 2 passed, 8 skipped, 4 xfailed in 6.61s

All the failures report ValueError: s argument must not be None

Two passed tests: common/test_platform.py::test_ansible_version on app and mon respectively.

I can't replicate this locally on a fresh install:

• cloned and checked out the 2.14.0-rc1 branch of securedrop
• did a clean install of 2.14.0-rc1 and tailsconfig (on prod VMs) without issue
• Ran steps as listed:

  sudo apt install -y python3.13-venv
  python3 -m venv admin/.venv3 && source admin/.venv3/bin/activate
  torify pip install -r admin/requirements-testinfra.txt
  TEST_ENV=prod devops/scripts/run_prod_testinfra
  

• tests are running and passing (currently at about 23% only coz ssh-over-tor, but they are running!)

@ChumOfChance and @nathandyer, can you confirm you have 2.14.0-rc1 checked out locally and that you have a valid ~/.ssh/config file?

[ChumOfChance]

I'm on Tails 7.4.2, @nathandyer is on Tails 7.4.1 I believe. So maybe it's something that changed in Tails since 7.2 ?

git status
HEAD detached at 2.14.0-rc1

cat ~/.ssh/config
Host app
  User sdadmin
  Hostname 10.20.2.2
  ProxyCommand none

Host mon
  User sdadmin
  Hostname 10.20.3.2
  ProxyCommand none