diff --git a/.github/workflows/linting.yml b/.github/workflows/linting.yml
index ac97a3f372fe..676d0c4c0b29 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/linting.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/linting.yml
@@ -10,12 +10,12 @@ concurrency:
 
 jobs:
   python-linting:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-20.04
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v2
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
     - name: set up Python
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v2
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
       with:
         python-version: 3.8
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/unit_tests.yml b/.github/workflows/unit_tests.yml
index 4d12efe8f2a0..cd73ae91c2de 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/unit_tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/unit_tests.yml
@@ -10,10 +10,10 @@ concurrency:
 
 jobs:
   test-suite:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-20.04
+    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        python: [3.6, '3.11']
+        python: [3.7, '3.11']
         modules_tool: [Lmod-7.8.22, Lmod-8.6.8]
         module_syntax: [Lua, Tcl]
         # exclude some configurations: only test Tcl module syntax with Lmod 8.x and Python 3.6
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ jobs:
             module_syntax: Tcl
       fail-fast: false
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v2
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
       with:
         fetch-depth: 0 # Required for git merge-base to work
 
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ jobs:
         key: eb-sourcepath
 
     - name: set up Python
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
       with:
         python-version: ${{matrix.python}}
         architecture: x64
@@ -46,11 +46,6 @@ jobs:
         # sudo apt-get update
         # for modules tool
         sudo apt-get install lua5.2 liblua5.2-dev lua-filesystem lua-posix tcl tcl-dev
-        # fix for lua-posix packaging issue, see https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/lua-posix/+bug/1752082
-        # needed for Ubuntu 18.04, but not for Ubuntu 20.04, so skipping symlinking if posix.so already exists
-        if [ ! -e /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lua/5.2/posix.so ] ; then
-            sudo ln -s /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lua/5.2/posix_c.so /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lua/5.2/posix.so
-        fi
         # for testing OpenMPI-system*eb we need to have Open MPI installed
         sudo apt-get install libopenmpi-dev openmpi-bin
         # required for test_dep_graph
@@ -152,15 +147,15 @@ jobs:
           eb --prefix /tmp/$USER/$GITHUB_SHA --sourcepath /tmp/sources M4-1.4.18.eb
 
   test-sdist:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-20.04
+    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        python: [3.6, '3.11']
+        python: [3.7, '3.11']
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v2
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
     - name: set up Python
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
       with:
         python-version: ${{matrix.python}}
 
diff --git a/RELEASE_NOTES b/RELEASE_NOTES
index af2e74ae887f..13896eccf4e9 100644
--- a/RELEASE_NOTES
+++ b/RELEASE_NOTES
@@ -1553,7 +1553,7 @@ update/bugfix release
   - fix typo in templated source URL in RcppGSL 0.3.8 easyconfig: $(name)s should be %(name)s (#14962)
 - other changes:
   - update Java/17 wrapper to Java 17.0.2 (#14868)
-  - use actions/setup-python@v2 in CI workflows + trim test configurations for easyconfigs test suite: only test with Python 2.7 + 3.6 and Lmod 7.x + 8.x (#14857, #14881)
+  - use actions/setup-python@v5 in CI workflows + trim test configurations for easyconfigs test suite: only test with Python 2.7 + 3.6 and Lmod 7.x + 8.x (#14857, #14881)
 
 
 v4.5.2 (January 24th 2022)