Software updater snuck in a package that is unwanted

[Tom H]

On Tue, Oct 17, 2017 at 12:54 PM, Bret Busby <bret at busby.net> wrote:
>
> :~$ sudo apt-get purge unattended-upgrades
> [sudo] password for bret:
> Reading package lists... Done
> Building dependency tree
> Reading state information... Done
> The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer
> required:
> libllvm3.8:i386 libllvm3.8 libudev1:i386 linux-headers-4.4.0-36
> linux-headers-4.4.0-36-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-38 linux-headers-4.4.0-38-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-43 linux-headers-4.4.0-43-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-45 linux-headers-4.4.0-45-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-47 linux-headers-4.4.0-47-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-51 linux-headers-4.4.0-51-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-53 linux-headers-4.4.0-53-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-57 linux-headers-4.4.0-57-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-59 linux-headers-4.4.0-59-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-62 linux-headers-4.4.0-62-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-63 linux-headers-4.4.0-63-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-64 linux-headers-4.4.0-64-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-66 linux-headers-4.4.0-66-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-72 linux-headers-4.4.0-72-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-75 linux-headers-4.4.0-75-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-77 linux-headers-4.4.0-77-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-78 linux-headers-4.4.0-78-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-79 linux-headers-4.4.0-79-generic
> linux-headers-4.4.0-81 linux-headers-4.4.0-81-generic
> linux-image-4.4.0-36-generic linux-image-4.4.0-38-generic
> linux-image-4.4.0-43-generic
> linux-image-4.4.0-45-generic linux-image-4.4.0-47-generic
> linux-image-4.4.0-51-generic
> linux-image-4.4.0-53-generic linux-image-4.4.0-57-generic
> linux-image-4.4.0-59-generic
> linux-image-4.4.0-62-generic linux-image-4.4.0-63-generic
> linux-image-4.4.0-64-generic
> linux-image-4.4.0-66-generic linux-image-4.4.0-72-generic
> linux-image-4.4.0-75-generic
> linux-image-4.4.0-77-generic linux-image-4.4.0-78-generic
> linux-image-4.4.0-79-generic
> linux-image-4.4.0-81-generic linux-image-extra-4.4.0-36-generic
> linux-image-extra-4.4.0-38-generic
> linux-image-extra-4.4.0-43-generic linux-image-extra-4.4.0-45-generic
> linux-image-extra-4.4.0-47-generic
> linux-image-extra-4.4.0-51-generic linux-image-extra-4.4.0-53-generic
> linux-image-extra-4.4.0-57-generic
> linux-image-extra-4.4.0-59-generic linux-image-extra-4.4.0-62-generic
> linux-image-extra-4.4.0-63-generic
> linux-image-extra-4.4.0-64-generic linux-image-extra-4.4.0-66-generic
> linux-image-extra-4.4.0-72-generic
> linux-image-extra-4.4.0-75-generic linux-image-extra-4.4.0-77-generic
> linux-image-extra-4.4.0-78-generic
> linux-image-extra-4.4.0-79-generic linux-image-extra-4.4.0-81-generic
> snap-confine ubuntu-core-launcher
> Use 'sudo apt autoremove' to remove them.
> The following packages will be REMOVED:
> ubuntu-mate-core* ubuntu-mate-desktop* unattended-upgrades*
> 0 to upgrade, 0 to newly install, 3 to remove and 0 not to upgrade.
> After this operation, 348 kB disk space will be freed.
> Do you want to continue? [Y/n]
>
> Therein lies the rub.
>
> To remove the package;
> :~$ sudo apt-get purge unattended-upgrades
> requires the removal of the user interface.
>
> That is why I regard the package as a trojan.
>
> It can not be simply and easily and cleanly, removed.
>
> Its design hooks it into other packages, to prevent its removal.
>
> It is like a cancer with secondaries in the brain - attempts to remove,
> simply aggravate the damage.

There are many packages that cannot be uninstalled on Ubuntu (and all
other distros). They're not trojans. Please google the definition of
trojan.

In this case, it's not that it cannot be uninstalled, it's that the
mate metapackages depend on it.

You could delete the metapackages but you'd be better off disabling
unattended-upgrades:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AutomaticSecurityUpdates