7.0 COMMON WHONIX TASKS
7.1 Internet Browsing
It is recommended that only Tor Browser is used in Whonix for browsing the Internet.
Tor Browser is a fork of the Mozilla Firefox web browser, developed by the Tor Project, which is optimized and designed for anonymity. If you use other browsers in Whonix, your IP address/DNS is still protected, but you don’t benefit from Tor Browser’s protocol level sanitization and privacy-enhancing patches and add-ons. As a result you become pseudonymous, rather than anonymous. Another benefit of using Tor Browser is that you blend in with the near two million other Tor users, and share a common browser fingerprint.
When using Tor browser, users should visit encrypted (HTTPS) sites as often as possible, rather than unencrypted (HTTP) alternatives. Websites with the .onion extension are even safer, since man-in-the-middle attacks with fraudulently issued certificates are impossible (for instance, the Whonix onion is http://kkkkkkkkkk63ava6.onion). The benefit of HTTPS is that it (generally) prevents a Tor exit relay eavesdropping on your communications as data is exchanged between your browser and the server.
HTTPS includes mechanisms to authenticate the server you are communicating with - although this is an imperfect system. It is important to only use HTTPS services when you are sending or retrieving sensitive information (like passwords), otherwise it is very easy for an eavesdropper to steal whatever information you are sending or to modify the content of a page on its way to your browser.
Tor Browser ships with the HTTPS Everywhere extension. It automatically encrypts your communications with a number of major websites. Many sites on the web offer some limited support for encryption over HTTPS, but make it difficult to use. For instance, they may default to unencrypted HTTP, or fill encrypted pages with links that go back to the unencrypted site. The HTTPS Everywhere extension fixes these problems by rewriting all requests to these sites to HTTPS.
Another benefit of using Tor Browser is the built-in Torbutton and NoScript add-on. With advanced privacy and security settings, the Torbutton helps to defend against elements which can defeat the anonymity of the Tor network: JavaScript, Adobe Flash, cookies and other trackable/fingerprintable features. The benefit of NoScript is that JavaScript, Java and other plugins are only allowed for trusted domains of your choice, helping to reduce the attack surface of the browser.
For better security and anonymity when using Tor Browser, follow these recommendations:
- Generally only allow JavaScript for sites that you trust - this mitigates many browser exploits and opportunities for browser fingerprinting;
- Do not install additional add-ons or plugins which can harm your anonymity, reduce your security and increase your browser fingerprint;
- Do not add any custom themes;
- Do not change any Tor Browser default settings in about:config unless you know what you’re doing;
- Do not maximize the Tor Browser window (a fingerprinting vector);
- Don’t change or remove any Tor Browser proxy settings;
- Try to maintain only one tab of browser activity at a time for better anonymity (or alternatively use multiple instances of Tor Browser in multiple Whonix-Workstations);
- Re-set Tor circuits with the ‘New Identity’ function from time to time (best security practice is to close the browser entirely and restart it);
- Run the Torbutton privacy slider in the medium-high to high position for better security and anonymity;
- Consider using the Application Boundaries Enforcer (ABE), ClearClick Protection, and additional restrictions for untrusted sites in the NoScript options (disabled by default);
- Always keep the Tor Browser updated (if you don’t have Tor Browser, use the Whonix Tor Downloader feature);
- Use the hardened, 64-bit Linux Tor Browser if running Qubes-Whonix and benefit from additional memory protections (Selfrando is now built in);
- Don’t run Flash - use HTML5 video instead or stream the media via VLC media player;
- Circumvent most re-Captcha warnings on websites with the Startpage proxy feature;
- Set passwords for WebGUIs listening on localhost;
- Run sensitive daemons with local WebGUIs on a separate dedicated Whonix-Workstation; and
- Confine Tor Browser with Apparmor (see AppArmor).
This is only a general introduction to remaining anonymous and secure when browsing the Internet. For a comprehensive overview of other issues like chatting, hosting location hidden servers, filesharing/bittorent, anonymous money, VOIP etc. please refer to “Connect to the Internet Anonymously” section in the Whonix documentation and section 9.3 of this guide:
7.2 Pre-Installed Applications
Basically, any program can be used together with Whonix. Whonix comes with a host of free software pre-installed and pre-configured with safe defaults, including:
Browsing, Email and Messaging/Chat
- Tor Browser for Internet browsing;
- Messengers like Pidgin, with the Jabber protocol and the OTR plugin;
- IRC client (HexChat);
- Mozilla Thunderbird with TorBirdy for privacy-friendly email;
- KGpg and OpenPGP (GnuPG frontend) to encrypt, decrypt, sign, and verify text; and
- Mixmaster (anonymous remailer).
Servers
- scp for secure data transfer to and from a server;
- SSH for unobserved administration of servers; and
- Web servers: Apache, ngnix, IRC servers, etc. via hidden services.
Other Tools
- Media Player (VLC Media Player);
- Image Viewer;
- Calculator;
- Terminal; and
- scurl.
Note: scurl is a SSL command line downloader which provides a simple wrapper around curl. /usr/bin/scurl simply adds --tlsv1 --proto =https to all runs of curl. It also has Stream Isolation in Whonix, because /usr/bin/curl is an uwt wrapper symlinked to /usr/lib/whonix/uwtwrapper which will ultimately run /usr/bin/curl.real. To use scurl, follow the instructions at this link:
7.3 Install Software for Work on Sensitive Documents
7.3.1 Recommended Software
If you need to work on sensitive documents, then install the recommended software below or other applications of your choosing.
a) Office Suite - LibreOffice
LibreOffice is a full-featured office productivity suite that provides a near drop-in replacement for Microsoft Office. A word processor, a spreadsheet and a presentation application is included.
Start menu → Applications → System → Terminal
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install libreoffice
b) Desktop Screenshot Creator - Shutter (non-Qubes-Whonix only)
Start menu → Applications → System → Terminal
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install shutter
Note: Qubes-Whonix users use the Screenshot tool available in dom0.
c) Desktop Video Recorder - RecordMyDesktop
Start menu → Applications → System → Terminal.
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gtk-recordmydesktop
d) Image Editing - kolourpaint4
Start menu → Applications → System → Terminal
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install kolourpaint4
e) Video Editing - Kdenlive
Start menu → Applications → System → Terminal
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install kdenlive
f) Publishing - Scribus
Scribus is an Open Source Desktop Page Layout that can be used for many tasks; from booklets design to newspapers, magazines, newsletters and posters to technical documentation.
Start menu → Applications → System → Terminal
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install scribus
g) Audio Editing - kwave
kwave is a multi-track audio editor for GNU/Linux, Mac OS X and Windows. It is designed for easy recording, playing and editing of digital audio.
Start menu → Applications → System → Terminal
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install kwave
7.3.2 Printers and Scanners Warning
Printing is risky. This is not a Whonix-related problem, but a general issue with printers. As the eff.org notes:
Imagine that every time you printed a document it automatically included a secret code that could be used to identify the printer - and potentially the person who used it. Sounds like something from an episode of “Alias” right?
Unfortunately the scenario isn’t fictional.
We don’t know if scanners also add extra hidden data which can uniquely identify a user. To be safe, you might consider buying an extra printer and/or scanner which you only use for anonymous activity. Another non-technical consideration is forensic evidence left on printers and peripherals e.g. fingerprints, DNA etc.
7.4 Install Other Software
If you don’t like the available Whonix software options, then you can install other applications of your choosing. You can install any software inside the Whonix-Workstation using apt-get, since it’s based on Debian.
Due to the Whonix design, it is possible to torrify almost all applications which are not capable of proxy support by themselves. However, it is generally inadvisable to install additional software unless you really need it, because it increases the risk of using software that is not exclusively designed to work with Tor.
Reminder: Qubes-Whonix users need to install persistent software in their Workstation TemplateVM(s). Using apt-get in an AppVM will install software for the current session only, and those changes will be lost when the VM is shut down.
7.4.1 Install Software From Debian Stable
The general recommendation is to install packages from the Debian Stable repository, rather than the Testing/Unstable or third party repositories. Further, manually installed packages, even trusted ones, tend not to get updated by users in a timely fashion. As the Debian FAQ notes:
https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1
Stable is rock solid. It does not break and has full security support. But it not might have support for the latest hardware.
If security or stability are at all important for you: install stable. Period. This is the most preferred way.
Since there is typically over 1 year between releases you might find that stable contains old versions of packages. However, they have been tested in and out. One can confidently say that the packages do not have any known severe bugs, security holes etc., in them. The packages in stable integrate seamlessly with other stable packages. These characteristics are very important for production servers which have to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
On the other hand, packages in testing or unstable can have hidden bugs, security holes etc. Moreover, some packages in testing and unstable might not be working as intended.
In respect of Debian Backports, they state:
Backports cannot be tested as extensively as Debian stable, and backports are provided on an as-is basis, with risk of incompatibilities with other components in Debian stable. Use with care!
7.4.2 Don’t Login As Root
Never login as root user (sudo su or run GUI applications using sudo application). This will fail. This is a limitation inherited by Debian and you will see error messages.
As a KDE user (Whonix default) use kdesudo application or otherwise use gksudo application. The example below shows how to open /etc/tor/torrc in an editor with root rights.
If you are using a graphical Whonix or Qubes-Whonix, run:
kdesudo kwrite /etc/tor/torrc
If you are using a terminal-only Whonix, run:
sudo nano /etc/tor/torrc
For more information on securely installing additional software, refer to the following link: