2 files changed, 2 insertions, 1 deletions

diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 44996ca79..d0b11f074 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ openssh (1:4.6p1-6) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
     metapackage is not installed.
   * Fix sshd/inittab advice in README.Debian to account for rc.d movement
     (closes: #450632).
+  * Suppress error from debian/rules if lsb-release is not installed.
   * debconf template translations:
     - Add Slovak (thanks, Ivan Masár; closes: #441690).
     - Update Brazilian Portuguese (thanks, Eder L. Marques;
diff --git a/debian/rules b/debian/rules
index 926e8674e..5a1d722fd 100755
--- a/debian/rules
+++ b/debian/rules
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ endif
 # Change the version string to include the Debian version
 SSH_EXTRAVERSION := Debian-$(shell dpkg-parsechangelog | sed -n -e '/^Version:/s/Version: //p' | sed -e 's/[^-]*-//')
 
-DISTRIBUTOR := $(shell lsb_release -is || echo Debian)
+DISTRIBUTOR := $(shell lsb_release -is 2>/dev/null || echo Debian)
 ifeq ($(DISTRIBUTOR),Ubuntu)
 DEFAULT_PATH := /usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin/X11:/usr/games
 else