Tails OS
WARNING: DO NOT DOWNLOAD USING THE SITE OR SEARCH UP THROUGH GOOGLE! USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!
What is Tails?
Tails OS is a portable operating system that protects against surveillance and censorship. Tails expands Tor's protections to an entire operating system, and they do so with an unwavering commitment to their Social Contract. Tails is a favorite companion tool of Tor.
Who uses Tails
Activists use Tails to hide their identities, avoid censorship, and communicate securely
Journalists and their sources use Tails to publish sensitive information and access the Internet from unsafe places.
Domestic violence survivors use Tails to escape surveillance at home.
The team! We use Tails OS and Kali OS to limit what others can see, you can see us using Tails OS and Kali OS to do everything from building doom USBs to making this site
How it works
To use Tails, shut down the computer and start on your Tails USB stick instead of starting on Windows, macOS, Chrome OS, or Linux. You can temporarily turn your own computer into a secure machine. You can also stay safe while using the computer of somebody else. Tails is a 1.2 GB download and takes ½ hour to install. Tails can be installed on any USB stick of 8 GB minimum. Tails works on most computers less than 10 years old. You can start again on the other operating system after you shut down Tails. You don't have to worry about the computer having viruses because Tails runs independently from the other operating system and never uses the hard disk.
No second user spying
Tails always starts from the same clean state and everything you do disappears automatically when you shut down Tails.
Without Tails, almost everything you do can leave traces on the computer:
Websites that you visited, even in private mode
Files that you opened, even if you deleted them
Passwords, even if you use a password manager
All the devices and Wi-Fi networks that you used
On the contrary, Tails never writes anything to the hard disk and only runs from the memory of the computer. The memory is entirely deleted when you shutdown Tails, erasing all possible traces.
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You can save some of your files and configuration in an encrypted Persistent Storage on the USB stick: your documents, your browser bookmarks, your emails, and even some additional software.
Avoid tracking
Avoid tracking and change identity
Tor also prevents the websites that you are visiting from learning where and who you are, unless you tell them. You can visit websites anonymously or change your identity.
Online trackers and advertisers won't be able to follow you around from one website to another anymore.
LIMITS
Install Tails from a computer that you trust Tails protects you from viruses and malware on your usual operating system. This is because Tails runs independently from other operating systems. But your Tails might be corrupted if you install from a compromised operating system. To reduce that risk: Always install Tails from a trusted operating system. For example, download Tails on a computer without viruses or clone Tails from a trusted friend. Do not plug your Tails USB stick while another operating system is running on the computer. Use your Tails USB stick only to run Tails. Do not use your Tails USB stick to transfer files to or from another operating system. If you worry that your Tails might be corrupted, do a manual upgrade from a trusted operating system. We don't know of any virus able to infect a Tails installation, but one could be created in the future. No operating system can protect against hardware alterations Your computer might be compromised if its physical components have been altered. For example, if a keylogger has been physically installed on your computer, your passwords, personal information, and other data typed on your keyboard could be stored and accessed by someone else, even if you are using Tails. Try to keep your computer in a safe location. Hardware alterations are more likely on public computers, in internet cafés or libraries, and on desktop computers, where a device is easier to hide. If you worry that a computer might be modified: Use a password manager to paste saved passwords. This way, you don't have to type passwords that might be visible to people or cameras near you. Use the Screen Keyboard, if you are using a public computer or worry that the computer might have a keylogger. Keyloggers are easy to buy and hide on desktop computers but not on laptops. For an example, see KeeLog: KeyGrabber forensic keylogger getting started. Other hardware alterations are much more complicated and expensive to install. For an example, see Ars Technica: Photos of an NSA “upgrade” factory show Cisco router getting implant. No operating system can protect against BIOS and firmware attacks Firmware includes the BIOS or UEFI and other software stored in electronic chips on the computer. All operating systems, including Tails, depend on firmware to start and run, so no operating system can protect against a firmware attack. In the same way that a car depends on the quality of the road it is driving on, operating systems depend on their firmware. Keeping your computer in a safe location can protect against some firmware attacks, but some other firmware attacks can be performed remotely.