Ubuntu 26.10 includes a Rust-based OpenPGP implementation, with plans to phase out GnuPG in a future release.
Sequoia PGP is part of the default seed, with the rust-sequoia-sq package in the main repository, officially supported by Canonical. It’s said to provide a “modern, and memory-safe” reimplementation of the OpenPGP cryptographic protocol.
Ubuntu isn’t making Sequoia the distribution’s default OpenPGP toolchain. Not yet. It ships preinstalled, but it sits alongside the standard implementation.
But the aim is to make Sequoia the default in the near future.
For now, gpg still invoke GnuPG, while sq (or an app configured to use Sequoia’s libraries) calls on Sequoia. The new version can be run e.g., sq sign or sq verify from the command line to try it.
Canonical say adopting Sequoia will allow Ubuntu to maintain OpenPGP interoperability while also benefiting from a “more maintainable and memory-safe foundation”.
Other Ubuntu Rust changes
It’s not the only Rust-related change in the new Ubuntu release, either. Ubuntu 26.10 ships a full set of Rust-based core utilities out-of-the-box, completing work that began in 25.10. GNU-versions of cp, mv, and rm are now provided by uutils.
Canonical’s engineers plan to ‘oxidise’ more foundational packages in future releases. A Rust rewrite of the Network Time Protocol (NTP) being eyed for inclusion as the default time sync client in Ubuntu 27.04.
The company is also a gold sponsor of the Trifecta Tech Foundation, paying €40,000 a year to help fund work on Rust software.