We have had a number of good threads going discussing various OSs.
Thought I’d add one more to the pot.
So, you find yourself involved with some Org/Biz/Gov that wants to bring about TEOTWAWKI.
What to do? How to blow the whistle anomalously?
Or perhaps there is that Website that looks so intriguing – but you know better than to follow that link. Need to leak to Wikileaks? Report on activities that could have dire repercussions to the reporter?
There is a Linux for that – Tails. https://tails.net/
It is a live distro that has privacy as its primary goal.
In addition to typical apps it features TOR – The Onion Router.
Which uses a series of servers world wide to prevent tracking your activities.
TOR browser can be used with most OSs.
The deal with Tails/TOR is that it is super easy to use with max privacy.
Boot from a USB stick. It leaves no trace of what you did after shutdown.
Tails can create a persistent storage area on the stick that is password protected.
There any data needed can be retained.
Recommended by Snowden Et al. As the OS to use for easy anonymity.
Sure other Linux setups can be configured – but this one is ready to go w/o end user fussing.
It is worth a look – just to see the intent and possibilities.
All the Best,
Jeff
What I like about Tails as compared to other live distros is the fact it’s designed to not leave breadcrumbs anywhere after use. It doesn’t automount media such as internal hard drives unless specifically requested and it overwrites RAM on shutdown and only exposes a very small surface to networks. Unless I suspect a hardware keylogger or a scary low level hypervisor on the system I’m comfortable entering stuff like my bank card information or checking my emails even on a super sketchy internet café computer.
Glad you mentioned that. Most everything else mounts whatever it can see.
I actually found a keylogger on a system. An ex-husband, we assume, installed it on her machine.
If she hadn’t brought me the whole computer - I don’t think I would have found it.
Since most KB connections are on the back, under a desk.
She took it to her lawyer. Never did find out what happened.
Yeah. For some reason I seemed to be the go to place for questionable software/hardware. Think it was because I would buy / salvage used systems.
Think I turned away at least 3 stolen systems over the years.
Funny, the police never seemed too interested in investigating.
Besides all sorts of dead critters, I once found a bullet inside a system!
DOS 5ish era. Desktop box back when they were made of real metal.
.36 hole in the back. 9mm FMJ bullet inside.
Plaster dust so I think it went through a wall first.
Computer still worked! Big gouge in the side of the power supply.
Lots of strange tales from the days of DOS.
All the Best,
Jeff
I have no firsthand knowledge.
It looks like it is designed to run as a VM and has TOR built in.
Needs a host and hypervisor. Qubes bare-metal hypervisor.
Much more rigorous hardware requirements vs Tails.
Tails is dead simple to run. Works on most hardware.
Hope that helps.
All the Best,
Jeff
Appreciated, I guess I’m just the sort of person who knows their way around privacy stuff without a guide, and I’ve definitely linked people there before without being 100% aware, although not particularly recently, when I don’t have a single specific recommendation, will definitely update that setting in my brain then.
Really cool to see a contributor, you do great work , I guess I didn’t realise the link there between the two sites at first.
Interesting, never heard of it before (also, never looked into it, so I guess not surprised…), I’ve got some spare flash keys in a drawer, this might be a good use for one or two of them!
, I guess I didn’t realise the link there between the two sites at first.