Patches & Updates

Package Management System

Debian/Ubuntu

apt list --installed | grep "linux-image"	Lists installed kernel packages, including hotfixes
apt list --upgradable | grep "security"	Filters the list to show only security-related updates.
apt list --upgradable	Lists available updates for all packages, including security patches, on Debian/Ubuntu systems.
apt-get changelog <package_name>	View detailed changelog for a specific package on Debian/Ubuntu systems.

Red Hat/CentOS

rpm -qa | grep kernel	Lists installed kernel packages
yum check-update	Checks for available updates, including security patches, on Red Hat/CentOS systems.
yum updateinfo list security	Lists available security updates on Red Hat/CentOS systems.
yum updateinfo list updates | grep security	Filters available updates for security-related updates.

SUSE

zypper list-patches	Lists installed patches on SUSE systems.
zypper patch-info <patch_number>	View details about a specific patch on SUSE systems.
zypper patches --category security	Lists only security-related patches on SUSE systems.

Kernel Version Check

uname -r	Displays the current kernel version.

Compare this version with official release notes or online resources to identify applied hotfixes.

Some distributions might include hotfix information in the kernel release string itself.

System Logs

Search for hotfix-related messages:

grep -i hotfix /var/log/dmesg

grep -i hotfix /var/log/messages

Search package manager logs:

grep -i hotfix /var/log/apt/history.log

grep -i hotfix /var/log/yum.log

Note: Not all hotfixes might be explicitly logged.

Specific Tools

ksplice	(Oracle Linux): Manages live kernel patching without reboots.

Third-party tools (e.g., yum-plugin-security, zypper-patch-viewer) might provide additional hotfix-related functionality.