package apt 1.2.12~ubuntu16.04.1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 6

[Daniel Bantar]

bug error

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: apt 1.2.12~ubuntu16.04.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.2.0-42.49-generic 4.2.8-ckt12
Uname: Linux 4.2.0-42-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.1
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sun Jul 24 09:52:56 2016
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 6
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-09-20 (308 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 15.04 "Vivid Vervet" - Release amd64 (20150422)
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.18.4ubuntu1.1
 apt 1.2.12~ubuntu16.04.1
SourcePackage: apt
Title: package apt 1.2.12~ubuntu16.04.1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 6
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to xenial on 2016-07-24 (0 days ago)

[Seth Arnold (seth-arnold)]

Thanks for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. We appreciate the difficulties you are facing, but this appears to be a "regular" (non-security) bug. I have unmarked it as a security issue since this bug does not show evidence of allowing attackers to cross privilege boundaries nor directly cause loss of data/privacy. Please feel free to report any other bugs you may find.

[Seth Arnold (seth-arnold)]

There's a lot of errors like this in the journal:

ul 24 09:12:59 hostname systemd[1]: systemd-udevd.service: Failed with result 'signal'.
jul 24 09:13:02 hostname systemd[1]: [/lib/systemd/system/emergency.service:19] Not an absolute path, ignoring: -/root
jul 24 09:13:02 hostname systemd[1]: [/lib/systemd/system/rescue.service:18] Not an absolute path, ignoring: -/root
jul 24 09:13:02 hostname systemd[1]: [/lib/systemd/system/user@.service:20] Unknown lvalue 'TasksMax' in section 'Service'
jul 24 09:13:02 hostname systemd[1]: tmp.mount: Cannot add dependency job, ignoring: Unit tmp.mount failed to load: No such file or directory.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Julian Andres Klode (juliank)]

The passwd file is in an inconsistent state, someone did not clean up a lock on it. We are using the same way to add users everyone else uses, so it's not our fault :)