The NetBSD project is pleased to (finally) announce the NetBSD 11.0 release! August 01, 2026 posted by Martin Husemann. ISO images have been split into <700 MB CD‑ROM images and full‑sized DVD images; pick the "‑dvd.iso" version if size is not a concern. For flash media (USB drives) use the .img files instead of .iso. To test 11.0, consult the installation notes for your architecture and download the preferredinstall image from the CDN. ARM users should obtain a netbsd‑11 image pre‑configured with U‑Boot from the bootable ARM images page. Installation or runtime problems can be reported on the mailing lists or via GNATS.

Security context: AI tools have increased the volume of reported issues, so the release includes several open pullup requests. hdaudio(4) applies access checks to ioctl commands, PR 60492; ipfilter fixes a remotely triggerable null pointer dereference, PR 60484; pf addresses a use‑after‑free in fragment reassembly, PR 60485. ipfilter and pf are not included in any released kernel by default. All open pullups will be merged shortly after 11.0 for the upcoming 11.1 release, targeted within the next two months.

The release process has been streamlined with automated testing and release candidates, but manual steps (e.g., security officer signing) and network transfer times still limit the schedule. The team chose transparency over further delays, emphasizing that new issues continue to appear.

The release announcement and detailed notes are available on the official site.