If your Linux distribution is so out of date that you can no longer install updated patches, you'll typically need to either reach for an unsupported package or install the software via source. Additionally, I didn't want to interfere with installed software in fear of rendering the system unusable.
You're going to be installing stuff that requires root access, so it's easier to just be able to do it when you want without having to worry about using sudo
and permissions. Be careful you don't delete anything you can't recover
$ sudo su -