Hello,
I’d like to create an entirely offline space on my PC (Debian), in order to work on some sensitive documents (office work) with peace of mind.
Tails doesn’t seem (in a 1st approach) the appropriate tool because it requires an internet connection at least for updates.
Maybe an encrypted VM… or something else ?
Looking forward for advice,
Thanks,
Well, it kinda depends on the type of documents you’re working with, because you may need to be connected to the Internet if you need to access an online tool or download something.
But with the given context I could personally use a live Linux OS, for example booting from the Linux Mint installation media without installing Linux Mint (obviously), just to use the live session. Of course you should know that once you restart your session any unsaved changes and installed software will be wiped off.
If you want to use Tails in a VM I recommend using the ISO regardless: Tails - Download and verify (ISO image)
The host could still read the memory contents so this isn’t necessarily a solution if the host is compromised. But an encrypted VM could still have benefits in some usecases.
If they are very sensitive, you should just use a dedicated airgapped machine.
Just install your favorite distro into a VM via libvirt, configure it how you prefer, make a clone of it with the disk shared, and then edit the clone’s config to have this line <transient shareBacking="yes"/> in the <disk> block.
Use the clone as a disposable throwaway but still have all the software/configs you need. Do note however that any contents written to this disposable disk are written to your underlying disk, so encrypting the disk during install is recommended.
Then you can start the original one up every so often to update it.
So, will the Live USB leave no trace of the consulted documents ?
(I don’t think about Tails which is set to this purpose)
How RAM would be required at least ? (I’ve only 4 GB)
Tails will not persist anything by default.
Some distro installers will however make a persistent space by default.
Running a desktop VM with 4GB would be very difficult.
Are you not able to pull extra RAM from anywhere else? I know 8GB of DDR2 is very pricey, but 8GB of DDR3 is practically free. Unless your 4GB is soldered?
Tails doesn’t seem (in a 1st approach) the appropriate tool because it requires an internet connection at least for updates.
Could you elaborate what you mean? Tails allows you to disable networking, so I’m not sure what you mean. Doing this would be exactly what you want—it can’t connect to the internet or Tor.
In addition, if you want something ephemeral, leaving no trace of anything you did, note that Tails is designed with this in mind as it explicitly erases the contents of memory. I’m not sure if other distros do this. I would bet that they don’t.
I agree that running a virtual machine on 4GB of RAM might be difficult. I actually have a similar issue with one of my laptops. It doesn’t have the most memory, so I keep a Tails USB handy in case I want the privacy. In fact, I’ve used it for this exact use case
I’ve also wondered if Live USB (excepted Tails) leave no trace of activity/consulted documents on the host machine.
If a Live USB doesn’t work only on the RAM, it might be true.
Indeed, I’ve just reviewed their documentation.
If the Tails networking is disabled, I think that the only way to upgrade the system, is to perform a Manual upgrade using Tails Cloner.
Yet, I ask a naive question : if an user plugs Tails only for offline work, is it really necessary to upgrade Tails ? (given that the available updates don’t seem to be very frequent).
Moreover, which is the safest way to download the ISO image of Tails from a Linux (Debian) PC :
shred command/just moving the file to /trash ?)Thanks,
You could create a sandbox with bubblejail and just not enable networking. Of course you still must trust the host, but no data should be able to be sent from inside the container if that’s what you are worried about
I don’t think browser choice is that important as long as you pick among those three and combine it with a VPN. If you’re concerned about browser fingerprinting, Mullvad browser can be a safe bet. Otherwise, Tor browser can also be an option if downloading Tails is dangerous in your jurisdiction.
If you’re worried about forensics, just download the Tails ISO on your PC and ensure that your PC has full-disk encryption. If there is no encryption, both actions won’t really do anything to mitigate that threat model.
Seems like you answered that question. You can also download Bleachbit to erase any free space if that gives you some peace of mind. Just don’t erase it more than once to avoid damaging your SSD (if you have one).
If you are open to switching your host PC operating system, this is what Qubes is designed for. I’m surprised it wasn’t mentioned.
You can have a Debian qube (VM) that’s set up like your regular desktop now, and then a second Debian (or something else) qube that’s set up with no networking.
Updates are delivered to qube templates separately, so the VM with your sensitive data would never have to be brought online.
They only have 4GB of RAM. Qubes realistically needs 16GB.
About the RAM, the Detailed hardware requirements of the Tails website recommends at least 2 GB of RAM to work smoothly.
Yet, it has ever been discussed on PG forum that GNOME DE requires 8 GB at least to work properly.
So, I wonder if the DE used by Tails doesn’t differ with the classic version of GNOME (in order to save system resources).
Any idea of potential tweaks ?
If the Tails networking is disabled, I think that the only way to upgrade the system, is to perform a Manual upgrade using Tails Cloner.
That is one of the ways you can update, but it also wouldn’t be necessary. If you want to update, you can simply reboot Tails but without disabling networking.
It’s an option that you choose before being able to use Tails. It’s not permanent, unless you want it to be I suppose.
Yet, I ask a naive question : if an user plugs Tails only for offline work, is it really necessary to upgrade Tails ? (given that the available updates don’t seem to be very frequent).
I’m not an expert, but I’ll say with some authority that you probably don’t need to care unless your threat model includes protecting against someone with physical access to the computer. But of course, you should update anyway if you’re able to.
No reason not to.