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Tails Linux 2.5 is out (Aug 2, 2016).
Tails is a live system that aims to preserve your privacy and anonymity. It helps you to use the Internet anonymously and circumvent censorship almost anywhere you go and on any computer but leaving no trace unless you ask it to explicitly.
It is a complete operating system designed to be used from a DVD, USB stick, or SD card independently of the computer's original operating system. It is Free Software and based on Debian GNU/Linux.
Tails comes with several built-in applications pre-configured with security in mind: web browser, instant messaging client, email client, office suite, image and sound editor, etc
= Announcements:
https://tails.boum.org/news/version_2.5/index.en.html
https://twitter.com/Tails_live/status/760516381905448968
https://mailman.boum.org/pipermail/amnesia-news/2016-August/000110.html
https://twitter.com/torproject/status/760516806587117568
[Continues...]
Useful links:
- Download / Burning Tails on a DVD: (See also: "Direct Downloads")
https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd/index.en.html- Download and verify using OpenPGP:
https://tails.boum.org/install/download/openpgp/index.en.html- Download / and verify the Tails ISO image (#2):
https://tails.boum.org/install/download/- Numerous security holes in Tails 2.4:
https://tails.boum.org/security/Numerous_security_holes_in_2.4/index.en.html- About:
https://tails.boum.org/about/index.en.html- News:
https://tails.boum.org/news/index.en.html- Getting Started:
https://tails.boum.org/getting_started/index.en.html- First steps with Tails:
https://tails.boum.org/doc/first_steps/index.en.html- Documentation:
https://tails.boum.org/doc/index.en.html
(Score: 3, Insightful) by n1 on Wednesday August 03 2016, @04:21PM
I've asked other editors their thoughts on this....
My personal opinion is, although we do get the submissions, I don't think we need to run a story on every slightly major TAILS release that happens. I don't think it's helpful or particularly informative.
This year we've done stories on the releases of versions: 2.0.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 and now 2.5
We don't do this for any other project, while TAILS might be more worthy than most, it's not newsworthy every time they do a release.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday August 03 2016, @04:29PM
It's always a good time to talk about a piece of software that is under sustained attack by governments.
After the Appelbaum ousting, can the Tor Project be trusted? Or does Tor need to adopt a new core system [soylentnews.org] to mitigate today's attacks?
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Jeremiah Cornelius on Wednesday August 03 2016, @04:35PM
He's a probable rapist, not a probable mole.
You're betting on the pantomime horse...
(Score: 2) by AndyTheAbsurd on Wednesday August 03 2016, @05:02PM
People with skeletons in their closet are easy to blackmail (assuming the blackmailer knows how to get the skeletons out of the closet). Of course, now that this particular skeleton is seeing the light of the day, it may actually be more difficult to blackmail Appelbaum.
Please note my username before responding. You may have been trolled.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Wednesday August 03 2016, @05:03PM
My own view is that a fair number of our users use Tails regularly - we even provide an Onion Router address for those who wish to maintain their anonymity while they access this site. Boron serves our TOR Hidden Services if my memory is correct. As each Tails release usually identifies some weaknesses in the previous versions it is vital that users keep up to date.
This is not the same as any other software release - individuals are not relying on Debian, Slack or Windows to provide the same level of security and privacy.
Nevertheless, if our members don't want it, then we should stop reporting it.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Wednesday August 03 2016, @05:06PM
This year we've done stories on the releases of versions: 2.0.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 and now 2.5
I agree, it gets way more coverage than it deserves. Further, each new release denounces the past release as being full of security holes.
Still it costs us nothing to cover an OS that at lease tries to be on the user's side.
Frequent security patches says they are at least trying to keep it secure, but it also says they are terrible at spotting any of these holes themselves.
Short of writing the OS from scratch, there is probably no way for the Tails team to find every hole. Maybe basing it on OpenBSD and their obsession with security would make more sense then Debian.
I have Tails on a USB stick, but I've spent far more time installing it than actually using it. I personally see very few use cases for Tails. Unless you frequent public libraries and other sources of borrowed machines, carrying your OS around on a thumb drive provides precious little protection, privacy, or security when everything upstream is increasingly compromised.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by mcgrew on Wednesday August 03 2016, @05:07PM
I'm glad you ran it, I'm shopping distros right now. Just bought a very old laptop that will serve a purpose new ones can't, and since it runs XP it will need a new OS. Plus, I have kubuntu dual-boot on this one and I absolutely HATE what they did to KDE. Dumbasses are trying to be Microsoft, screwing up the interface for no reason other than to change it.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Wednesday August 03 2016, @05:41PM
Unless you use full disk encryption, I would not recommend using Tails as an installed OS. Even then, it is not the best of choices. Anyone with access to your computer can still find out more about your activities than you might wish to be the case. Using it from a USB drive or CD means that there is nothing at all on the computer once you have finished using it. Having an empty computer and always booting it from an external device (CD/DVD/USB) would be workable I guess.
Having said that, if local police/law enforcement are already demanding your passwords, it is probably a little bit to late - you were obviously not as anonymous as you previously thought...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 03 2016, @05:57PM
"Unless you use full disk encryption"
This is 2016. Who *isn't* running full disk encryption?
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Wednesday August 03 2016, @06:25PM
Well, it seems that some are using it without realising that it is worthless - they have already given the keys to someone else.
And I'll take a wild guess and suggest that many who use the more popular linux distros will not have set up full disk encryption. They might encrypt their home directory, or they might encrypt specific files, but not very many will have used LUKS to create a fully secure system. And that is only as secure as the now infamous $5 wrench...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 03 2016, @08:55PM
I don't encrypt my Linux install, not even the home folder. Why?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 03 2016, @09:28PM
With an encrypted hard disk (or home folder), if someone steals your computer, they may have your device but they won't have your data.
With an un-encrypted hard disk, they have both.
And 'full disk encryption' set up to auto-unlock when you boot without you having to do anything is worthless. I don't even understand why that exists. They'll tell you that the key is in the TPM and safe but the key is also handed out to anyone asking for it on boot time. The key being in the TPM is there to 'protect' your data if the HD is removed from the device.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 03 2016, @11:24PM
A $5 wrench doesn't work. As soon as you see it, you know they will kill you either way.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 04 2016, @08:24PM
At which point the goal for most people becomes not to avoid death, but to avoid extreme pain and suffering. Ask Kenneth Trentadue [truthinjustice.org] about the details.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Friday August 05 2016, @05:18PM
I'm not worried about access to my files, I live alone and my doors stay locked. I'm just checking out different distros.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 03 2016, @11:16PM
Please continue to post TAILS updates, as it is useful to be reminded of its existence and where it's up to. Most software updates are uninteresting compared to TAILS.