Boot Clock Randomization
From Whonix
Introduction[edit]
The TimeSync page notes:
Using Boot Clock Randomization, i.e. after boot, the clock is set randomly between 0 and 180 seconds into the past or future. This is useful to enforce the design goal, that the host clock and Whonix-Workstation ™ clock should always slightly differ. It is also useful to obfuscate the clock when sdwdate itself is running, because naturally at this time, sdwdate hasn't finished. sdwdate runs after booting.
By randomly moving the system clock a few seconds (and nanseconds) in the past or future during boot, this enforces the design goal of a slightly different host clock and Gateway/Workstation clock, even before secure timesync has succeeded. This prevents time-based fingerprinting and linkability issues, thereby improving anonymity and privacy. [1]
For technical discussion on the Boot Clock Randomization design, see here [archive]. [2]
Log Inspection[edit]
Open /var/log/bootclockrandomization.log in an editor as a regular, non-root user.
If you are using a graphical environment, run.
mousepad /var/log/bootclockrandomization.log
If you are using a terminal, run.
nano /var/log/bootclockrandomization.log
For an overview of the time synchronization mechanism in Whonix ™, see here.
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ https://github.com/Whonix/bootclockrandomization [archive]
- ↑ Notably, one recent change is the 0-5 second time window is no longer excluded in the process, as it was found to aid fingerprinting.
Whonix ™ is Supported by Evolution Host DDoS Protected VPS. Stay private and get your VPS with Bitcoin or Monero.
Search engines: YaCy | Qwant | ecosia | MetaGer | peekier | Whonix ™ Wiki
Please consider a recurring donation [archive]!
This is a wiki. Want to improve this page? Help is welcome and volunteer contributions are happily considered! Read, understand and agree to Conditions for Contributions to Whonix ™, then Edit! Edits are held for moderation. Policy of Whonix Website and Whonix Chat and Policy On Nonfreedom Software applies.
Copyright (C) 2012 - 2020 ENCRYPTED SUPPORT LP. Whonix ™ is a trademark. Whonix ™ is a licensee [archive] of the Open Invention Network [archive]. Unless otherwise noted, the content of this page is copyrighted and licensed under the same Freedom Software license as Whonix ™ itself. (Why?)
Whonix ™ is a derivative of and not affiliated with Debian [archive]. Debian is a registered trademark [archive] owned by Software in the Public Interest, Inc [archive].
Whonix ™ is produced independently from the Tor® [archive] anonymity software and carries no guarantee from The Tor Project [archive] about quality, suitability or anything else.
By using our website, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agreed to our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Terms of Service, and E-Sign Consent. Whonix ™ is provided by ENCRYPTED SUPPORT LP. See Imprint, Contact.