Nitrux 6.1 Released with Linux Kernel 7.0 and Hyprland 0.55

Nitrux developers have officially released Nitrux 6.1, the latest version of their immutable, systemd-free Linux distribution based on Debian. The operating system continues to focus on AppImage-based software deployment and ships with the Hyprland Wayland compositor as its default desktop environment.

This release comes with Linux kernel 7.0.8 enhanced with CachyOS optimizations, alongside Hyprland 0.55.1, Qt 6.10.2, KDE Applications 26.04.1, KDE Frameworks 6.23, and Calamares 3.4.2. NVIDIA users also receive an updated Open Kernel Module driver version 595.71, though support is limited to Turing-generation GPUs and newer architectures.

The Maui ecosystem has also been refreshed. MauiKit, MauiKit Frameworks, and Maui Apps are now updated to version 4.0.3, bringing interface refinements, stability improvements, cleaner build-system integration, and optional x86-64-v3 compiler optimizations for supported processors.

MauiKit itself gains several enhancements, including fixes for UI controls, improved browser and tab handling, better QML loader behavior, enhanced MauiModel stability, smoother sidebar resizing, and more consistent visuals across applications.

A number of Maui Apps also receive notable upgrades. Buho now includes a split-view Markdown editor and improved note navigation capabilities. Clip standardizes media playback using libmpv, enhances playlist handling, and introduces video thumbnails within list views.

The Fiery web browser receives multiple security and usability improvements, including upgrades to privacy protections, password management, content blocking, tab handling, and session management. Other applications such as Index, Nota, Pix, Shelf, Station, and VVave also benefit from workflow optimizations, UI polishing, and stability fixes.

Nitrux 6.1 additionally modernizes its desktop configuration. Hyprland settings are now managed using Lua, while the Wofi launcher has been replaced with Vicinae, a launcher inspired by Raycast. Other desktop-related updates include refreshed PipeWire latency tuning, updated Waybar layouts, revised MauiKit configuration files, enhanced ZSH setup, improved WirePlumber Bluetooth handling, and updated QMLGreet support for Hyprland.

Security remains a major focus in this release. Nitrux 6.1 introduces protections against several recently disclosed vulnerabilities, including CVE-2026-31431 (Copy Fail), CVE-2026-43284 (Dirty Frag), CVE-2026-43500 (Fragnesia), and CVE-2026-46333 (ssh-keysign-pwn).

The distribution also expands authentication and encryption features by adding YubiKey-based two-factor authentication for LUKS-encrypted disks, PAM support for Universal 2nd Factor authentication, and validation checks for PAM configuration files.

Several new tools and utilities have also been added to the distribution. These include dmemcg-booster, a modified version of Valve’s daemon adapted for OpenRC systems; an HID-BPF loader triggered through udev events; Fatresize for safely resizing FAT16 and FAT32 partitions; RealtimeKit; Meslo Nerd Font packages optimized for Powerlevel10k; KDE Partition Manager; and the new Vicinae launcher.

Nitrux 6.1 is available in two separate ISO editions: cachy-nvopen for NVIDIA graphics hardware and cachy-mesa for AMD and Intel GPUs. Existing Nitrux 6.0 installations can be upgraded through the Nitrux Update Tool System once the OTA update is released.

For additional details, refer to the official announcement.