The new update for the Ubuntu operating system carries a bug that can expose your media to other users on the same network .
The bug appears to be located in Ubuntu's media sharing feature in the latest Ubuntu 19.10.
The feature, which you can enable from Settings ➔ Sharing ➔ Media, allows you to send media files such as images, videos , and music over the local network.
However, users running Ubuntu 19.10 without having a GNOME Shell/Ubuntu login are reporting that the media sharing feature starts automatically upon login, without warning users that it is running in the background.
This allows other users on the same local network to access media files and folders without the owner knowing.
One of the Ubuntu users who has installed the latest update said: “My colleague at work just informed me that all my photos and videos are available to the entire company!”.
What can you do?
Some Ubuntu users believe the problem lies in an upstream configuration that asks the system to change media sharing.
There is currently no way to permanently fix the bug, but developers are working on finding a solution for it.
If you have installed the Ubuntu 19.10 update, you can go to the Media Sharing and make sure it is disabled. A temporary solution would be to uninstall the Rygel package, as the feature is powered by the Rygal server.
Users who have installed Ubuntu 19.10 and are using GNOME Shell are not affected by the bug.
