Due to the vulnerability detected in Kernel 4.8, the first maintenance version of this Kernel version has already been released, specifically version 4.8.1 , which is now available for download and installation.
The main benefit of version 4.8.1 is to fix a vulnerability discovered in the previous version , a kernel bug for which even Linus Torvalds apologized . Those of you who downloaded version 4.8 should update to version 4.8.1 immediately to avoid this vulnerability.
Thanks to this update, version 4.8.1 can now be considered fully stable, as this serious bug has been fixed, so there's nothing to worry about for now . Furthermore, it's already considered a stable version by Kernel.org, which considers the first maintenance release stable for any eventuality (considering version 4.8 as the mainline version).
Otherwise, there aren't many more changes compared to version 4.8, since that version also brought many new features such as the inclusion of compatibility with the powerful Nvidia Pascal graphics cards , support for Raspberry Pi 3 and the Microsoft Surface 3 touch controller, among others.
This was undoubtedly a swift response from the kernel developers , something essential when serious vulnerabilities are detected. Since the vulnerability was discovered, they have worked tirelessly to resolve it and release the stable version as soon as possible.
Now that it's stable, this kernel version has been included in the repositories of most popular Linux distributions , such as Arch Linux, among others. It will also be included in the upcoming and highly anticipated Ubuntu 16.10, which will be released in four days (October 13th).
For those of you who want to download the Kernel on your own, you can do so through the official Kernel.org website , where other stable versions are also available for download and installation.