/tech/ - technology

SecureDrop is an open-source whistleblower submission system that media organizations can use to securely accept documents from and communicate with anonymous sources. It was originally created by the late Aaron Swartz and is currently managed by Freedom of the Press Foundation.

SecureDrop's documentation is now built and hosted by Read the Docs: https://docs.securedrop.org. If you are still trying to use links to Markdown files on our Github to read documentation, please update your bookmarks.

AntiPrism is a toolbox platform for securing the online presence, web browsing and communications. It is implemented as a set of extensions to the OpenELEC-derived media center software providing a universal and seamlessly integrated web privacy solution for home and small office. It runs from a read-only file system within a secure Linux operating environment bootable from a USB flash drive, SD memory card, or installable on a HDD/SSD. AntiPrism is activated with a password used as an encryption key to a hidden file system. Once deactivated, it leaves no traces of its operations. The computer device running AntiPrism can serve as a media center for watching movies, streaming music and games, and general web surfing with the included basic web browser, because the basic XBMC/Kodi external plug-ins functionalities are preserved and acting as an anonymizing tool in the background.

The main differences between AntiPrism and other existing anonymizing Linux derivatives (Tails, Whonix, Liberte, etc) are dictated by its purpose. AntiPrism provides, basically, a “secure anonymizing media center”, a household device that would normally do little when not being used for entertainment, but is now loaded with new hidden powers. For example, you can anonymously search, download and watch your torrents right on the device, without a need to copy them elsewhere. Same time, it is capable to run a “hidden” customizable secure website with web cameras, home automation portal or your own online store. It can also run as an intermediate or entry node in the anonymizing networks extending their strength and improving availability. It has a noticeably high performance, due to the fast Systemd Linux backend with close to real-time IRQ response and low network packets losses.
https://www.antiprism.ca/index_en.html

What is Qubes OS?
Qubes OS is a security-oriented operating system (OS). The OS is the software that runs all the other programs on a computer. Some examples of popular OSes are Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Android, and iOS. Qubes is free and open-source software (FOSS). This means that everyone is free to use, copy, and change the software in any way. It also means that the source code is openly available so others can contribute to and audit it.

Why is OS security important?
Most people use an operating system like Windows or OS X on their desktop and laptop computers. These OSes are popular because they tend to be easy to use and usually come pre-installed on the computers people buy. However, they present problems when it comes to security. For example, you might open an innocent-looking email attachment or website, not realizing that you’re actually allowing malware (malicious software) to run on your computer. Depending on what kind of malware it is, it might do anything from showing you unwanted advertisements to logging your keystrokes to taking over your entire computer. This could jeopardize all the information stored on or accessed by this computer, such as health records, confidential communications, or thoughts written in a private journal. Malware can also interfere with the activities you perform with your computer. For example, if you use your computer to conduct financial transactions, the malware might allow its creator to make fraudulent transactions in your name.
https://www.qubes-os.org/

Whonix is a desktop operating system designed for advanced security and privacy. Whonix mitigates the threat of common attack vectors while maintaining usability. Online anonymity is realized via fail-safe, automatic, and desktop-wide use of the Tor network. A heavily reconfigured Debian base is run inside multiple virtual machines, providing a substantial layer of protection from malware and IP address leaks. Commonly used applications are pre-installed and safely pre-configured for immediate use. The user is not jeopardized by installing additional applications or personalizing the desktop. Whonix is under active development and is the only operating system designed to be run inside a VM and paired with Tor.
https://www.whonix.org/

Subgraph OS: Adversary resistant computing platform.
Subgraph believes that the best way to empower people to communicate and live freely is to develop technology that is secure, free, open-source, and verifiably trustworthy.

Subgraph OS is an important part of that vision.

The Internet is a hostile environment, and recent revelations have made it more apparent than ever before that risk to every day users extends beyond the need to secure the network transport - the endpoint is also at risk.

Subgraph OS was designed from the ground-up to reduce the risks in endpoint systems so that individuals and organizations around the world can communicate, share, and collaborate without fear of surveillance or interference by sophisticated adversaries through network borne attacks.

Subgraph OS is designed to be difficult to attack. This is accomplished through system hardening and a proactive, ongoing focus on security and attack resistance. Subgraph OS also places emphasis on the integrity of installable software packages.

https://subgraph.com/sgos/

Tor VM - Tor in a virtual machine.
Bring transparency to your security, privacy, and anonymity.
Quick Overview
Tor VM is a transparent proxy that routes all your DNS request and TCP traffic though the Tor network. The major advantage of running Tor VM is the protection you get from IP disclosure attacks that could leak your true IP address. Tor VM will not protect you from leaking personal information while in use; please take caution in protecting your personal identity and information by not sending it across the Tor network. The use of encryption (HTTPS) whenever possible is highly recommended.

To build TorVM from source, you'll need a virtualization product to make a virtual machine for Ubuntu 8.04 Desktop. VMware Workstation was used in the creation of Tor VM, but VMware Player or Server are free work fine too. The 20GB Linux VMware Configuration used with Ubuntu 8.04-1 Desktop.iso will be required to create your build environment.
http://www.janusvm.com/tor_vm/

Tails is a live operating system that you can start on almost any computer from a DVD, USB stick, or SD card.

It aims at preserving your privacy and anonymity, and helps you to:

use the Internet anonymously and circumvent censorship;
all connections to the Internet are forced to go through the Tor network;
leave no trace on the computer you are using unless you ask it explicitly;
use state-of-the-art cryptographic tools to encrypt your files, emails and instant messaging.
https://tails.boum.org/index.en.html

HardenedBSD forked the FreeBSD codebase for ease of development. Prior to HardenedBSD's founding, Oliver and Shawn worked on separate repositories, occasionally causing collaboration issues. Unifying the codebases was a natural step in efficient, effective collaboration between the two individuals. Two years have passed since the unification of the work and HardenedBSD is growing faster than ever.

HardenedBSD's Goals
HardenedBSD aims to implement innovative exploit mitigation and security solutions for the FreeBSD community. Security is like an onion–it's made up of layers. In order to be successful, attackers must peel back each layer. HardenedBSD takes a holistic approach to security by hardening the system and implementing exploit mitigation technologies. We will work with FreeBSD and any other FreeBSD-based project to include our innovations.

Who is HardenedBSD?
HardenedBSD's core team consists of Oliver Pinter and Shawn Webb. If you'd like to know more about the team involved in HardenedBSD, please visit the Meet the Team page.
https://hardenedbsd.org/

IprediaOS is a fast, powerful and stable operating system based on Linux that provides an anonymous environment. All network traffic is automatically and transparently encrypted and anonymized.

Many applications are available in IprediaOS, including mail, peer-peer, bittorrent, IRC chat and others.
http://www.ipredia.org/

Liberté Linux is a secure, reliable, lightweight and easy to use Gentoo-based LiveUSB/SD/CD Linux distribution with the primary purpose of enabling anyone to communicate safely and covertly in hostile environments. Whether you are a privacy advocate, a dissident, or a sleeper agent, you are equally likely to find Liberté Linux useful as a mission-critical communication aid.
Why should you choose Liberté over alternative open-source, commercial, or military systems?
Unobtrusiveness
Liberté promptly installs as a regular directory on a USB/SD key, taking ≈210 MiB of disk space, and not interfering with other files present on the media. Everything is preconfigured — the only user input required during boot is the encrypted volume password. System requirements are just as lightweight: ≈192 MiB of RAM are entirely sufficient for unrestricted desktop use.
Security
Liberté Linux is shipped with the Hardened Gentoo kernel, which includes all grsecurity/PaX security enhancements — radically improving system's resistance to software exploits. Measures like service privileges separation provide additional protection.
Persistence
All persistent changes are kept in a secure LUKS/OTFE volume, easily accessible from any operating system. This includes application settings that are archived upon shutdown, as well as any documents explicitly stored in the encrypted volume. The OTFE volume is just a file on the boot media that can be copied, backed up, or transparently resized from inside Liberté.
Communication
You can securely, reliably and covertly communicate with other Liberté Linux users via the familiar e-mail interface, using serverless cables communication — a CMS standard-based stateless messaging protocol featuring repudiability and perfect forward secrecy.
Anonymity
All networking activities like browsing and chatting are automatically Torified, with I2P locations transparently available as well. After the system receives a network address, the only external traffic it emits is encrypted communication on HTTP(S) ports (used by Tor). No other traffic is sent — not even DNS requests. I2P traffic is routed through Tor, too: you will be able to use I2P even behind the most restrictive firewalls. In addition, a special Unsafe Browser is available for the express purpose of registration in open Wi-Fi hotspots, if necessary. Liberté can be also booted in non-anonymous mode, with all other security features left intact.
Invariance
Besides the encrypted volume on the boot media, Liberté leaves no traces in the system without explicit user consent (such as manually creating files on external automounted media). Moreover, all volatile memory is thoroughly erased upon shutdown in order to prevent cold boot attacks — whether an orderly shutdown, or an immediate one due to abrupt removal of the boot media.
Privacy
Many other privacy-enhancing features, such as wireless MAC addresses randomization and uniform HTTP headers, are automatically employed in order to prevent pinpointing your activities.
Desktop
More mundane yet useful applications, like document and image processing, are included as well. Do not be put off by its small image size — Liberté Linux is a fully capable distribution with HTML5 video support in the browser, file managers and chat plugins, audio players, a multitude of multilingual fonts, full application interface and keyboard localization, and much more.
Integrity
The transparent and readily reproducible deployment image build process employs rigorous verification of the complete chain of trust of all downloaded archives, packages and signature keys. All software in the image, without exception, is built from source — there is no reliance on externally compiled binary executables. With reasonable competence, you can quickly master a customized image yourself.

https://dee.su/liberte

Why are you spamming your own thread with massively outdated stuff? A Tor VM guide with Ubuntu 8 right next to a post about Tails? What?

They can make a difference.

Hyperbola is a Free Software and Free Culture project aiming to provide a fully free as in freedom GNU/Linux distribution called Hyperbola GNU/Linux-libre. It is based on the packages of the Arch GNU/Linux plus security and stability patches of Debian GNU/Linux, with packages optimized for i686 and x86_64 CPUs under a Long Term Support (LTS) way. Hyperbola aims to keep its package and management tools simple, stable and secure. The primary goal is to give the user complete control over their system with 100% Free Software and Free Culture.
Development is focused on a balance of simplicity, elegance, code-correctness and bleeding edge Free Software.
Its lightweight and simple design makes it easy to extend and mold into whatever kind of system you're building.
https://www.hyperbola.info/

>>613
I really like I2P, its a shame that this project is dead.

>>614
Liberte is pretty much dead.

Nigro

>>627
https://getkovri.org is a fork of the C++ version of i2p that is being developed by the team that works on Monero. Not all hope is lost

>>1323
Why use a fork of a fork of I2P rather than just using just the C++ I2P or regular I2P?

>>1327
Because it works really well

>>1329
I'm looking for actual discussion, not "because it works really well"

>>1327
They list the reasons they forked i2pd in their FAQ https://getkovri.org/FAQ.html

The reason I would prefer to use kovri over i2pd is because its not just a fork of i2p to c++ it's going to integrate monero and most likely become more user friendly so people can develop and use DNMs on there and other services.

>>1337
That's just blah-blah by the Kovri authors. I2Pd is much more actively developed and has cool features Kovri doesn't (when they forked they wanted to do more, but now they say its going to be less because security). Code quality is pretty much the same (rather ugly in many places). Kovri is also slower as a I2P router (i2pd switched to openssl for crypto).