Tails – Touring with the Incognito-Amnesic Live System
It is not uncommon for us, both as SecNews and as individual columnists, to receive questions about the optimal level of anonymity we can achieve on the internet. From VPN and Tor to special configuration on the Raspberry Pi and several other solutions, either combined or individually.
One of the best ways to browse the internet anonymously, and also work anonymously, is the Tails.
It is an operating system that has been created with anonymity and privacy in mind, also known as 'The Amnesic Incognito Live System'. It is open source, Linux-based, and protects the privacy and anonymity of users.
It is characterized as “Amnesic” and “Incognito”, on the one hand because no trace of computer use remains on the system after it is turned off, and on the other hand because it is oriented towards privacy and security, Internet access is anonymous by default, thus bypassing any type of censorship.
The famous anonymity operating system, intentionally designed as an anti-surveillance system, comes with several built-in (entirely open source) security-oriented applications:
- Built-in online anonymity
The built-in web browser, Iceweasel, uses anonymous web browsing technology like Tor. The browser also includes popular security extensions, such as HTTP and HTTPS encryption, everywhere and encrypts browser data, Adblock Plus to block ads, and NoScript to block Java and Flash (which could compromise a user's anonymity). This means that some Internet features will not work when using Tails, but this is an important compromise that must be made in order to achieve a satisfactory level of privacy when working on sensitive projects.
At this point it should be clarified that if someone tries to log in to an online account that is directly linked to their real identity, they will compromise their anonymity and their entire system. Therefore, Tails must be deactivated and restarted every time a new identity is used. Files and documents can also contain metadata that may betray someone's location via GPS.
- Built-in encrypted email and chat
Tails offers built-in encrypted email and chat. It includes the Claws email client with OpenPGP for email encryption and the Pidgin instant messaging client, which ensures the privacy and anonymity of personal messages.
- Built-in file encryption
The Tails operating system comes with the LUKS service, which can encrypt files via the USB stick used to run the operating system itself. Tails will encrypt this space by default, requiring a password for files stored there.
Special information: While this permanent storage space is useful for relatively insignificant information and documents, it should not be used to store or transfer more sensitive documents or data. This is because this space is not “hidden”. That is, if the malicious user takes the USB stick, he will be able to see that there is an encrypted volume of data on the device, and therefore may be able to decrypt it. Therefore, a “hidden” space should be created for the most sensitive documents (perhaps on a different USB stick), which may appear to have no memory at all – and only the owner knows that they are there.
- Built-in password protection
Tails comes pre-installed with KeePassX, a password manager that stores credentials in encrypted form in a database protected by a master password. It also comes pre-installed with PWGen, a fairly efficient random password generator.
The famous anonymity operating system is designed to be used from a USB stick regardless of the computer's original operating system. This means that even if a laptop's hard drive has been removed, it is possible to boot the laptop via a Tails USB stick.
Because I obviously can't cover everything in one article, on the one hand there will be a follow-up post, on the other hand, for a follow-up post to follow, I await the points you want us to examine further.
Happy browsing to everyone anonymously and safely!
