Security of Windows 11 - Offline - with VirtualBox + Whonix-Gateway Using USB Ethernet Adapter: How Safe?

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1

Hi friends,

Suppose

  • I have as host Windows 11 that never connected to the internet
  • I don’t install any ethernet driver on it
  • I install VIRTUALBOX + WHONIX on it
  • I connect to the internet with an USB ethernet adapter connected ONLY to WHONIX VM

How safe would this setting be?

Thank you very much

2

Security of Windows 11 - Offline - with VirtualBox + Whonix-Gateway Using USB Ethernet Adapter: How Safe?

This is unspecific to Whonix.

You could rewrite that question for:

Security of Windows 11 - Offline - with VirtualBox + Debian Using USB Ethernet Adapter: How Safe?

And then ask elsewhere since that is a general computer security question.

This really depends on your threat model. If/how much compromised you consider Windows. If one would classify Windows as totally compromised and actively working against (targeted) users, then as always, the host operating system always beats any virtualizer and any operating system running in a virtualizer.

Also seems a rather useless experiment to me. Best to just drop Windows, use Linux and never look back.

related:

Nobody figured that out as per:
Connect USB Wi-Fi Adapter to Whonix Gateway in VBox

So unless you pay somebody (not me) to do this, that most likely won’t happen.

3

OK. Thank you very much for taking the time to reply Patrick.