How to Install the latest OpenSSL version from Source on Ubuntu

by 
sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential checkinstall zlib1g-dev -y


cd /usr/local/src/
sudo wget https://www.openssl.org/source/openssl-3.2.0.tar.gz


Before upgrade:

$ openssl version -a
OpenSSL 3.0.2 15 Mar 2022 (Library: OpenSSL 3.0.2 15 Mar 2022)
built on: Fri Oct 13 12:02:49 2023 UTC
platform: debian-amd64
options: bn(64,64)
compiler: gcc -fPIC -pthread -m64 -Wa,--noexecstack -Wall -Wa,--noexecstack -g -O2 -ffile-prefix-map=/build/openssl-8L8jlV/openssl-3.0.2=. -flto=auto -ffat-lto-objects -flto=auto -ffat-lto-objects -fstack-protector-strong -Wformat -Werror=format-security -DOPENSSL_TLS_SECURITY_LEVEL=2 -DOPENSSL_USE_NODELETE -DL_ENDIAN -DOPENSSL_PIC -DOPENSSL_BUILDING_OPENSSL -DNDEBUG -Wdate-time -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2
OPENSSLDIR: "/usr/lib/ssl"
ENGINESDIR: "/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/engines-3"
MODULESDIR: "/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/ossl-modules"
Seeding source: os-specific
CPUINFO: OPENSSL_ia32cap=0x7ffaf3ffffebffff:0x98c027bc239c27eb

sudo tar -xvf openssl-3.2.0.tar.gz
cd /usr/local/src/openssl-3.2.0


sudo ./config --prefix=/usr/local/ssl --openssldir=/usr/local/ssl shared zlib
sudo make
sudo make test
sudo make install

Next, we will configure the shared libraries for OpenSSL. The new OpenSSL binary will load library files from the ‘/usr/local/ssl/lib’ directory.

Go to the ‘/etc/ld.so.conf.d’ directory and create new configuration file ‘openssl-3.0.7.conf’.

cd /etc/ld.so.conf.d/
sudo vi openssl-3.2.0.conf

Paste the openssl library path directory.

/usr/local/ssl/lib64

Save and exit.

Now reload the dynamic link using the command below.

sudo ldconfig -v

$ openssl version -a
OpenSSL 3.0.2 15 Mar 2022 (Library: OpenSSL 3.2.0 23 Nov 2023)
built on: Wed Dec 13 01:23:16 2023 UTC
platform: linux-x86_64
options: bn(64,64)
compiler: gcc -fPIC -pthread -m64 -Wa,--noexecstack -Wall -O3 -DOPENSSL_USE_NODELETE -DL_ENDIAN -DOPENSSL_PIC -DOPENSSL_BUILDING_OPENSSL -DZLIB -DNDEBUG
OPENSSLDIR: "/usr/local/ssl"
ENGINESDIR: "/usr/local/ssl/lib64/engines-3"
MODULESDIR: "/usr/local/ssl/lib64/ossl-modules"



:/$ /usr/bin/openssl version
OpenSSL 3.0.2 15 Mar 2022 (Library: OpenSSL 3.2.0 23 Nov 2023)

:/$ /usr/local/ssl/bin/openssl version
OpenSSL 3.2.0 23 Nov 2023 (Library: OpenSSL 3.2.0 23 Nov 2023)

Configure OpenSSL Binary

We will replace the default openssl binary ‘/usr/bin/openssl or /bin/openssl’ with the new version ‘/usr/local/ssl/bin/openssl’.

Backup the binary files.

sudo mv /usr/bin/c_rehash /usr/bin/c_rehash.bak
sudo mv /usr/bin/openssl /usr/bin/openssl.bak

Edit the ‘/etc/environment’ file.
sudo vi /etc/environment

Now add the new OpenSSL binary directory as below:
PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/snap/bin:/usr/local/ssl/bin"

Save and exit.

Reload the environment file and test the new updated binary PATH.
source /etc/environment
echo $PATH

Now check the OpenSSL binary file again.
:/$ which openssl
/usr/local/ssl/bin/openssl

Test the new OpenSSL version.
:/$ openssl version -a
OpenSSL 3.2.0 23 Nov 2023 (Library: OpenSSL 3.2.0 23 Nov 2023)
built on: Wed Dec 13 01:23:16 2023 UTC
platform: linux-x86_64
options: bn(64,64)
compiler: gcc -fPIC -pthread -m64 -Wa,--noexecstack -Wall -O3 -DOPENSSL_USE_NODELETE -DL_ENDIAN -DOPENSSL_PIC -DOPENSSL_BUILDING_OPENSSL -DZLIB -DNDEBUG
OPENSSLDIR: "/usr/local/ssl"
ENGINESDIR: "/usr/local/ssl/lib64/engines-3"
MODULESDIR: "/usr/local/ssl/lib64/ossl-modules"