This system relies on Tor and an ingenious set of virtual machines to ensure a high level of security and anonymity. Here is how to install it.
Infested with advertisements, hackers and cyber spies, the web is not a cozy place, especially for those who like to take some risks (dark web, political activists, hackers, etc.) To gain maximum anonymity and security , one of the best solutions is to install Whonix, a system derived from Debian Linux that relies on the Tor anonymization network.
How does Whonix work?
This open source project is installed as two virtual machines in the Virtualbox hypervisor. The first is the workstation you will be using to browse the web, write emails, chat, etc. The second acts as a network gateway. It establishes the Tor circuits over which the workstation connections will pass. In other words, with Whonix, you are not just installing an operating system, but a small virtual network altogether.
What are the main advantages of such a system?
- With Whonix, all connections go through Tor, not just HTTP / HTTPS connections. In addition, Whonix creates a different Tor circuit for each application that will be launched on the workstation. For an outside observer, it will therefore be much more difficult to relate the different tasks to each other and to perform profiling.
- Being installed as virtual machines further protects the user. Even if malware manages to break through the browser’s sandbox, it will only be able to infect the virtual machine, not the host system. What can happen if you use Tor Browser directly on your computer.
- Whonix is easier and more flexible to use on a daily basis than Tails Linux, its main competitor. The latter has the advantage of leaving no trace on a computer, but it requires the creation of a bootable USB key and does not allow access to the main system of the computer at the same time.
To use Whonix, you need a 64bit computer with a minimum of 4 GB of RAM memory. Here are the first steps to getting started with Whonix.
1) Download and install Virtualbox
Whonix is a complete operating system that is installed in a hypervisor, in this case Virtualbox. Meeting on virtualbox.org and download the latest version that matches your computer, then install it.
2) Download Whonix and import it into Virtualbox
Open the page whonix.org/wiki/Download and download the version that matches your machine. Select the version with graphical interface (XFCE), and not the one that works on the command line (CLI). You will then obtain a file with an OVA extension of approximately 1.8 GB.
In Virtualbox, go to “File → Import Virtual Appliance” and select the OVA file you just downloaded. After a few minutes, you will see the two virtual machines appear: Whonix-Workstation-XFCE and Whonix-Gateway-XFCE.
3) Create a shared directory
As the Whonix system operates in virtual machines, it is necessary to first create a directory shared with the host system. This will allow you to retrieve files that you have created or downloaded during your Whonix work session. To do this, select the Whonix-Workstation-XFCE machine, go to “Configuration → Shared Folder” and right click on the icon with the plus sign. In the popup window, you will be able to indicate the folder of the host system that you will use as a share. Check the “Automatic mount” box and click OK.
4) Start the Whonix gateway
Double click on Whonix-Gateway-XFCE to launch the gateway. You will then have to validate an information text, then choose the connection mode to the Tor network. Keep the default choice, namely “Connect”. Subsequently, the machine will establish the circuits necessary for the operation of Whonix.
Then activate the French keyboard, by going to “Settings → Keyboard”, then selecting “French (Azerty)”. This will ensure that you are not mistaken when you have to enter the administrator password (“changeme”). This is required, for example, to launch “Tor Control Panel”, an application that displays the status of the Tor connection.
5) Start the Whonix workstation
Double click on Whonix-Workstation-XFCE to launch the workstation. There again, you will have to validate an information text, then configure the French keyboard in the same way as on the gateway. Unfortunately, the GUI is only available in English. You can now safely explore the Web, for example by launching the Tor Browser.
Note that Tor Browser will not, in Whonix, initiate a connection with Tor, because it is already done by the gateway. But Tor Browser has many other interesting security and anonymity features, which is why it remains the browser of choice par excellence.