Unable to remove unattended-upgrades

[Aiman Baharna]

The presence of /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades (in package unattended-upgrades) prevents editing the option for deciding how security updates should be handled in Software Sources dialog (Software Sources -> Updates -> When there are security updates). In fact, the combo box for this option is disabled.

However, I cannot remove unattended-upgrades. Because attempting to do so display this:
> sudo apt-get remove unattended-upgrades
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
  launchpad-getkeys yad
Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.
The following extra packages will be installed:
  docbook-xsl kate-data katepart kde-runtime kde-runtime-data kdebase-runtime kdelibs-bin kdelibs5-data
  kdelibs5-plugins kdoctools libattica0 libclucene0ldbl libdbusmenu-qt2 libdlrestrictions1 libiodbc2
  libkatepartinterfaces4 libkcmutils4 libkde3support4 libkdecore5 libkdesu5 libkdeui5 libkdewebkit5
  libkdnssd4 libkemoticons4 libkfile4 libkhtml5 libkidletime4 libkio5 libkjsapi4 libkjsembed4
  libkmediaplayer4 libknewstuff3-4 libknotifyconfig4 libkntlm4 libkparts4 libkpty4 libkrosscore4
  libktexteditor4 libmysqlclient16 libnepomuk4 libnepomukquery4a libnepomukutils4 libntrack-qt4-1
  libntrack0 libphonon4 libplasma3 libpolkit-qt-1-1 libqt4-qt3support libqt4-sql-mysql libsolid4
  libsoprano4 libstreamanalyzer0 libstreams0 libthreadweaver4 mysql-common ntrack-module-libnl-0 phonon
  phonon-backend-gstreamer plasma-scriptengine-javascript shared-desktop-ontologies soprano-daemon
Suggested packages:
  docbook-xsl-doc-html docbook-xsl-doc-pdf docbook-xsl-doc-text docbook-xsl-doc libsaxon-java
  docbook-xsl-saxon fop xalan dbtoepub djvulibre-bin hspell libqt4-dev phonon-backend-vlc
  phonon-backend-xine phonon-backend-mplayer
Recommended packages:
  virtuoso-minimal kubuntu-debug-installer icoutils libcanberra-pulse libcanberra-gstreamer
The following packages will be REMOVED
  aptdaemon apturl language-selector-gnome python-aptdaemon python-aptdaemon-gtk
  python-aptdaemon.gtk3widgets python-aptdaemon.gtkwidgets python-software-properties sessioninstaller
  software-center software-properties-gtk unattended-upgrades xubuntu-desktop xul-ext-ubufox
  y-ppa-manager
The following NEW packages will be installed
  docbook-xsl kate-data katepart kde-runtime kde-runtime-data kdebase-runtime kdelibs-bin kdelibs5-data
  kdelibs5-plugins kdoctools libattica0 libclucene0ldbl libdbusmenu-qt2 libdlrestrictions1 libiodbc2
  libkatepartinterfaces4 libkcmutils4 libkde3support4 libkdecore5 libkdesu5 libkdeui5 libkdewebkit5
  libkdnssd4 libkemoticons4 libkfile4 libkhtml5 libkidletime4 libkio5 libkjsapi4 libkjsembed4
  libkmediaplayer4 libknewstuff3-4 libknotifyconfig4 libkntlm4 libkparts4 libkpty4 libkrosscore4
  libktexteditor4 libmysqlclient16 libnepomuk4 libnepomukquery4a libnepomukutils4 libntrack-qt4-1
  libntrack0 libphonon4 libplasma3 libpolkit-qt-1-1 libqt4-qt3support libqt4-sql-mysql libsolid4
  libsoprano4 libstreamanalyzer0 libstreams0 libthreadweaver4 mysql-common ntrack-module-libnl-0 phonon
  phonon-backend-gstreamer plasma-scriptengine-javascript shared-desktop-ontologies soprano-daemon
0 upgraded, 61 newly installed, 15 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

A temporary workaround is to comment out all the content in /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades.

[Aiman Baharna (aiman)]

This bug affects Ubuntu 12.04 as well as Xubuntu 11.04:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=12057828#post12057828

[Aiman Baharna (aiman)]

I meant to write in #1, it affects Ubuntu 12.04 as well as Xubuntu *11.10*

[Damien Zufferey (damien.zufferey)]

I think it's not really a bug, but rather a configuration problem.
Have a look to this ubuntu-forum post:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2005415&page=2

[Aiman Baharna (aiman)]

I think it is a bug, because I did not create the file /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades. It seems to appear on a fresh install.

More importantly, because of the existence of this file, I cannot change the policy of automatic upgrades in the Software Sources window, because the option is disabled.

Removing the file fixes the issue. But it doesn't solve why the file is there in the first place. What is to stop it reappearing?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[emarkay (mrk)]

Yes, on systems with swecurity concerns or limited bandwidty, the ability to disasble any uncommanded actions needs to be available. Especially those that acces the Internet.

[goldencut (goldencut)]

Stumbled onto this bug just in Lubuntu 14.04. Did a Lubuntu minimal (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Lubuntu/Documentation/MinimalInstall) ISO (http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/trusty/main/installer-i386/current/images/netboot/mini.iso) install on x86 PC and searched two days for the solution. Had to remove that one file. Is there a massively effective corporate (MS?) sabotage unit working inseide the core of linux community?

[Balint Reczey (rbalint)]

"sudo apt-get remove unattended-upgrades does work for me in Xenial.
If you wish to disable updates while keeping unattended-upgrades on the system please run:

 sudo dpkg-reconfigure unattended-upgrades

And opt out from installing updates. This edits /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades accordingly.