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I was looking at the process list on my Ubuntu 18.04 server and saw the following two processes:
930 ? Ssl 0:00 /usr/bin/python3 /usr/bin/networkd-dispatcher --run-startup-triggers
958 ? Ssl 0:00 /usr/bin/python3 /usr/share/unattended-upgrades/unattended-upgrade-shutdown --wait-for-signal
I am sure I did not start them. What are they? Are they harmful? How do I stop them from reappearing?
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nixcraft June 2, 2020, 12:20pm #2. unattended-upgrade is nothing but background service for automatic installation of security (and other) upgrades on a Debian / Ubuntu and other distros. In other words, it downloads and install security upgrades automatically and unattended.
The "unattended upgrades" mechanism is responsible for automatically installing security updates. You can find more information in official documentation, e.g. here. The networkd-dispatcher allows triggering of scripts in response to a change of the network interface state.
Determining the current configuration In this example, Unattended Upgrade will run every 1 day. If the number is "0" then unattended upgrades are disabled.
The purpose of unattended-upgrades is to keep the computer current with the latest security (and other) updates automatically. If you plan to use it, you should have some means to monitor your systems, such as installing the apt-listchanges package and configuring it to send you emails about updates.
The unattended-updates-shutdown script temporarily inhibits a shutdown signal until apt finishes. The script cannot prevent corruption due to a sudden power loss, or holding the power button, while apt happens to be running. Another reason to avoid those, and to keep regular backups.
As you may already know, Ubuntu has a feature named Unattended Upgrades, which installs the latest security (and other) updates automatically whenever they are available. It comes preinstalled and enabled by default in the recent Ubuntu versions.
This is because the unattended upgrades process is running in the background and it is downloading and installing the security updates. I can't perform apt operations until this process is complete. This is OK if the update size is small.
As you may already know, Ubuntu has a feature named Unattended Upgrades, which installs the latest security (and other) updates automatically whenever they are available. It comes preinstalled and enabled by default in the recent Ubuntu versions. While this feature helps to keep the Ubuntu system up-to-date, it also quite annoying some times.
These processes are likely not harmful[1].
The "unattended upgrades" mechanism is responsible for automatically installing security updates. You can find more information in official documentation, e.g. here.
The networkd-dispatcher allows triggering of scripts in response to a change of the network interface state. Again, if you are curious, check the official docs.
There are plently of processes that the OS starts without the user's explicit knowledge or consent. This is perfectly OK and for the most part you should not interfere unless you know exactly what you are doing. Such processes might be crucial to OS operation and even beneficial for your OS security (such as the unattended upgrades system).
[1] Of course, we can't truly know without having full access to your computer
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