The FreeBSD Project has released version 14.4-RELEASE, the fifth update to the stable/14 branch. This maintenance release includes OpenSSH 10.0p2 with hybrid post-quantum encryption enabled by default using mlkem768x519-sha256. The update also upgrades OpenZFS to version 2.2.9 and improves cloud-init compatibility through the new nuageinit component.

Several virtualization and deployment features arrive in this release. Bhyve virtual machines can now share filesystems with the host using the new p9fs(4) driver, enabling better integration between guest and host environments. The release also includes significant improvements to manual page tooling and content, making documentation more accessible to users.

Available for amd64, i386, aarch64, armv7, powerpc, powerpc64, and riscv64 architectures, FreeBSD 14.4-RELEASE can be installed from ISO images, USB sticks, or SD cards. Pre-built virtual machine images are available in QCOW2, VHD, and VMDK formats. The project dedicates this release to Ken Smith, former Release Engineering lead who managed releases between FreeBSD 6 and FreeBSD 10.