Whonix – A distro for security lovers

Linux distributions specializing in security are of a different kind. They are intended to be used as a tool for penetration testing, forensic analysis, vulnerability analysis, etc .; see Kali Linux or Parrot OS, not recommended as a common desktop operating system. And there are those aimed at providing a high level of security and privacy, such as Qubes OS and Tails respectively, which are not a good solution for day-to-day use either. Whonix belongs to the category of the latter.

This distro is better understood with the sum of the concepts around which Qubes OS and Tails revolve, since it applies the principle of security by isolation of the first, from which it also takes several technologies, while, like the second, uses Tor to anonymize the user’s trace on the Internet. Specifically, Whonix runs inside multiple virtual machines and all of its connections are made over the Tor network, providing a substantial layer of protection against malware and IP address leaks.

The main idea is that different VirtualBox virtual machines run simultaneously, on top of our real system:

▸Whonix-Gateway

A virtual machine that has access to the internet, runs Tor and acts completely as a gateway or “gateway”, sending everything that passes through the system through Tor.

▸Whonix-Workstation

The user’s operating system where all their applications are. It can only be connected through the gateway to the internet, and it is completely isolated from any other type of connection. It has everything we may need such as a browser, email client, chat, etc.

Something that should be noted about this distro is that everything is completely isolated in the virtual machine and does not affect the equipment that is outside of it. Only connections via Tor are allowed and therefore applications can be used anonymously over the Internet. Furthermore, DNS leaks are impossible and malware with root privileges cannot discover the user’s real IP address.

Read also:
Parrot OS, A distro focused on security
Which Linux distros offers us high security

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