apt-mark hold doesn't pin versions — how it nearly removed OpenSSH across our fleet

May 24, 2026 · 8:28 AM UTC ·5 min read · 0 reactions · 0 comments · 32 views

TL;DR · WeSearch summary

A recent issue with the apt-mark hold command highlighted its limitations in package management. The command failed to prevent the removal of OpenSSH when attempting to downgrade related libraries. This incident underscores the importance of understanding package dependencies and the actual functionality of hold commands in Debian systems.

Key facts

▪The apt-mark hold command does not pin a package to a specific version and can lead to unintended removals during dependency resolution.
▪An attempt to downgrade libssl3 while holding it resulted in the proposed removal of OpenSSH due to dependency conflicts.
▪The issue was resolved by downgrading all related packages in a single transaction, ensuring OpenSSH remained installed.

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Original publisher	DEV.to (Top)
Canonical URL	https://dev.to/vainamoinen/apt-mark-hold-doesnt-pin-versions-how-it-nearly-removed-openssh-across-our-fleet-4685
Publication time	Sun, 24 May 2026 08:28:19 +0000
Retrieval time	2026-05-24T08:37:31.504Z
Last seen	2026-05-24T08:37:31.504Z
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Indexing	May the item be indexed (stored, ranked, made findable)?	Allowed
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand

try { if(localStorage) { let currentUser = localStorage.getItem('current_user'); if (currentUser) { currentUser = JSON.parse(currentUser); if (currentUser.id === 3879600) { document.getElementById('article-show-container').classList.add('current-user-is-article-author'); } } } } catch (e) { console.error(e); } Vainamoinen | Pulsed Media Posted on May 24 • Originally published at gist.github.com apt-mark hold doesn't pin versions — how it nearly removed OpenSSH across our fleet #linux #debian #sysadmin #devops apt-mark hold doesn't pin versions — how it nearly removed OpenSSH across our fleet A short field report on an apt footgun: apt-mark hold does not pin a version, and the difference nearly cost us OpenSSH on a production host.

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