Build Documentation: Physical Isolation

FREE

Warning: It is essential to read the Security and Support Status, Warnings and First time user entries in conjunction with this chapter.

Warning: There is build issue with version 15.0.1.3.4-stable for physically isolated builds. 15.0.1.4.0-testers-only was reported ^[archive] to be functional.

Introduction

Basic

A supported platform that can run Whonix ™. There are also others.

See also Physical Isolation #Security and Support Status.

The following instructions are for Non-Qubes-Whonix ™. For Qubes-Whonix ™ see:
https://forums.whonix.org/t/physical-isolation-is-back-qubes-whonix-style ^[archive]

Technical Introduction

When setting up Whonix ™ in the form of two Virtual Machines running on the same physical host, exploits targeting the VM implementation or the host can still break out of the torified Client VM and expose the IP of a user. Malware running on the host has full control over all VMs. To protect such attacks we need a different approach: In this context we called it Physical Isolation, because the gateway system is installed on separate hardware. This drastically reduces the TCB by more than the half.

In total we'll be installing and configuring two computers and set up an isolated point to point network between them (you could also set up a an ordinary, completely isolated, LAN behind the Whonix-Gateway ™). One computer acts as the client or "Whonix-Workstation ™", the other as a proxy or "Whonix-Gateway ™" which will transparently route all of the Whonix-Workstation ™ traffic through Tor.

The Whonix-Gateway ™ on its own physical device can either run directly on hardware or inside a virtual machine. Both options have advantages and disadvantages. We recommend to use no additional Virtual Machine for the Whonix-Gateway ™.

The Whonix-Workstation ™ should always be installed in a Virtual Machine: A VM hides hardware serial numbers. See also Recommendation to use multiple VM Snapshots.

The host operating system(s) should only be used for downloading operating system updating, hosting Whonix-Gateway ™ or Whonix-Workstation ™ and nothing else.

Bonus points if the physical systems are exclusively used for hosting Whonix ™, or if storage devices are separated for Whonix ™ and non-Whonix ™ use cases, to avoid a Whonix ™ hard drive getting infected by a another operating system.

First time user?

default username: user
default password: changeme

Warning:

• If you do not know what metadata or a man-in-the-middle attack is.
• If you think nobody can eavesdrop on your communications because you are using Tor.
• If you have no idea how Whonix works.

Then read the Design and Goals, Whonix ™ and Tor Limitations and Tips on Remaining Anonymous pages to decide whether Whonix is the right tool for you based on its limitations.

Warnings

WARNING: Less tested than VM builds. Needs your help for more rigid testing!

WARNING: Instructions are difficult. Only advanced Linux users can understand them.

WARNING: Dev/Build Anonymity has not been considered for this article.

WARNING: Do also read the warnings in the latest build instructions for VM images. Some of them, Don't add private files to Whonix ™ source code folder! and Check if the OpenPGP public keys are still up to date. also applies to the physical isolation page.

WARNING: This article currently lacks information about Whonix-Gateway ™ and Whonix-Workstation ™ MAC address. See also:

• Protocol-Leak-Protection and Fingerprinting-Protection
• Whonix ™ in public networks / MAC Address
  

WARNING: Joanna Rutkowska ^[archive], security researcher, founder and developer emeritus of Qubes OS ^[archive] has completed a research paper comparing the security of software compartmentalization vs. physically separated computers ^[archive] (pdf). It concluded that in some cases, notably for specific, desktop-related workflows, Physical Isolation might be less secure than Qubes' compartmentalized approach. (See also: Qubes-Whonix ™.)

Using spare hardware + Virtual Machine

Advantages:

• You can install a graphical host.
• Use the Whonix ™ download version.
• You can use the graphical network manager on the host, for example to connect to WiFi.
• You can setup easily a VPN on the host. Tor will be tunneled through the VPN.

Disadvantages:

• Higher attack surface, because the Virtual Machine code get's involved.

Using spare hardware without Virtual Machine

Advantages:

• More secure, because less code is involved.

Disadvantages:

• Slightly more complicated setup
• More difficult to set up VPN
• More difficult to set up 3G networking compared to using a Windows host

Hardware

General

We recommend that you use two dedicated computers for Whonix ™ that are never used for activities that could lead back to your identity. Alternatively you can use an already existing and otherwise used computer for the Whonix-Gateway ™. To offer some isolation you should disconnect all internal and external drives and boot from a eSATA, USB or another internal drive into a clean environment.

non-anonymous use

• non-anonymous box (leave it as it is, like you want)
• non-anonymous home dial up internet router (leave it as it is, like you want)

anonymous use

• Whonix-Gateway ™
  • This really does not have to be a big desktop computer or ordinary server. There are alternatives.
  • smartphone ,
  • UMPC
  • pad, tablet,
  • notebook, netbook,
  • Raspberry Pi: needs contributor, development thread ^[archive]
  • router ,
  • set top box,
  • etc.
  • how to utilize such a device as a linux server is beyond the scope of this guide, there are already better resources
• anonymous 3G modem (see below) or anonymous wifi adapter (see below)
• Whonix-Workstation ™
  • You get the idea. Use a device which suits you.

Before installing

Read and apply the Pre-Installation Security Advice.

Prerequisites

• System Requirements
• Whonix-Gateway ™: A device with at least two network adapters, at least one of them ethernet , capable of running Linux. It will run Debian.
• Whonix-Workstation ™: A device connected via ethernet to the Whonix-Gateway ™. It must only have this one NIC and no other network connectivity! Must be connected by wire. This will be the torified client system or Whonix-Workstation ™. It must be capable of running Debian.
• We recommend to use a VM as the client, the same Whonix-Workstation ™, that most non Physical Isolation users use.
• Host build environment has a working internet connection to Debian mirrors.
• Optionally, it would be useful, if you knew how to open a second virtual console.

Host Preparation

• You need to build on Debian buster. (How to obtain Debian safely: )
• It is recommended to set your terminal (for example Konsole) to unlimited scrollback, so you can watch the full build log.
• Install build dependencies and get the source code.

Update the package lists.

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get update

Install build dependencies.

sudo apt-get install git time curl apt-cacher-ng lsb-release fakeroot dpkg-dev

sudo apt-get install git time curl apt-cacher-ng lsb-release fakeroot dpkg-dev

System Preparation

• Debian buster installed.
• User account user exists.

Become root.

su

su

Install sudo and adduser.

Install sudo adduser.

1. Update the package lists.

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get update

2. Upgrade the system.

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

3. Install the sudo adduser package.

Using apt-get command line parameter --no-install-recommends is in most cases optional.

sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends sudo adduser

sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends sudo adduser

The procedure of installing sudo adduser is complete.

The following commands need to be run either by root or use sudo.

Create group console.

addgroup --system console

addgroup --system console

Add user user to group console.

adduser user console

adduser user console

Add user user to group sudo.

adduser user sudo

adduser user sudo

Reboot.

reboot

reboot

How To Install Whonix-Gateway ™ on the Raspberry Pi 3 B (RPI3)

• Contributor of How To Install Whonix-Gateway ™ on the Raspberry Pi 3 B (RPI3): Algernon ^[archive]
• Forum discussion: Whonix ™ for arm64 / Raspberry Pi ( RPi ) ^[archive]

Get the source (see below).

From inside the Whonix ™ source folder run:

sudo ./whonix_build --target raw --flavor whonix-gateway-rpi --build --arch arm64 --kernel linux-image-arm64 --headers linux-headers-arm64

sudo ./whonix_build --target raw --flavor whonix-gateway-rpi --build --arch arm64 --kernel linux-image-arm64 --headers linux-headers-arm64

After a succesful build burn the whonix_gw_rpi.img to a micro SD card using gnome-disk-utility.

1. Within gnome-disk-utility select the SD card.
2. At the top panel select options (next to the poweroff button).
3. Click restore disk image and choose the respective file.
4. Click start restoring and wait until it is finished.
5. Put the SD card into the RPI3, attach an HDMI monitor, an USB-ethernet adapter as well as a keyboard and boot it.

After login run:

sudoedit /etc/network/interfaces.d/30_non-qubes-whonix

sudoedit /etc/network/interfaces.d/30_non-qubes-whonix

and change the address and the gateway of eth0 corresponding to your local network / upstream router. As an example our ISP router uses 192.168.0.1/24 for the internal network. The settings of eth0 would look like the following:

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
    address 192.168.0.11
    netmask 255.255.255.0
    gateway 192.168.0.1

auto eth0 iface eth0 inet static address 192.168.0.11 netmask 255.255.255.0 gateway 192.168.0.1

By default eth0 is the native ethernet connection of the RPI3. Hence, connect a network cable from there to your router. eth1 is the USB-ethernet adapter which should also be connected via cable to the computer running the workstation. Since the RPI3 is lacking a real time clock you need to set the date manually to the current UTC time. Example:

sudo date -s "09 NOV 2019 17:00:00"

sudo date -s "09 NOV 2019 17:00:00"

Run:

sudo service networking restart

sudo service networking restart

and

sudo service tor restart

sudo service tor restart

to connect to the Tor network. Depending on your hypervisor you need to change network settings on the Workstation in order to connect it to the gateway (see below).

How To Install Whonix-Gateway ™ on Hardware (RECOMMENDED)

Get Debian

Download a Debian buster 32 bit installation iso. Detailed instructions doing so are unfortunately not part of this guide. However, the Debian page contains some help.

You can choose iso of any desktop environment (KDE, LXDE, Xfce, ...) but since you'll be using the command line, Debian buster network install (netinst) version is recommended (it is the most minimal).

(You could also use a Debian buster 64 bit installation iso, these instructions should also work, but it is less tested.)

Install Debian

In the installer boot menu of Debian buster press "Install" and choose following settings:

Select a language: English
Select your location: United States
Configure the keyboard: (select yours)
Hostname: host
Domain name: (empty)
Root password: (set up a strong password)
Full name for the new user: user
Username for your account: user
Password for the new user: (choose a good password, different from root password)
Partitioning method: Guided - use entire disk (it is a good idea to set up cryptsetup encrypted LVM at this point)
Partitioning scheme: All files in one partition (select the listed device in the next step)
Partition disks/overview: Finish partitioning
Write changes to disk: Yes

Debian archive mirror country: Go back
Continue without a network mirror: Yes

Use a network mirror: No
Participate in the package usage survey: No
Software selection: None; deselect all options (using Space)
Install the GRUB boot loader: Yes (select the listed device in the next step)
Finish the installation: Continue

OPTIONAL.

If you are interested in seeing a visual walk-through of the minimal installation of Debian buster, click on Expand on the right.

In the menu select "Install"

Set language as English.

Set location as United States.

Select your keyboard.

Installing additional content.

Network will auto-configure (hopefully).

Set the hostname to "host".

Leave the domain name empty.

Pick a strong root password.

Reenter the password.

Full name should should be "user".

Username should also be "user".

Enter a strong user password.

Reenter the password.

Network time procedure.

Use a guided partitioning method with the whole disk (FDE is a good idea if you plan to use physical isolation or as your main system).

Select the suggested disk.

Partition all files in one partition.

Finish partitioning.

Confirm the changes.

It takes a few minutes to get the base system installed.

We don't need any extra packages so don't select a mirror, "Go back".

Confirm that you want to continue without a mirror.

Configuring apt.

"No thanks" to survey participation.

Deselect (no star) the given option (using Space).

Install GRUB.

Select your disk.

Finishing the installation.

Done! The system will reboot.

OS screen.

Login screen.

OPTIONAL - CUSTOMIZING FULL DISK ENCRYPTION

If you are interested in configuring a custom encryption algorithm to enhance security during the minimal installation of Debian buster, click on Expand on the right.

1. Under "Partitioning method", select Manual

2. Select the disk you are installing to and press enter, then select <Yes> to create a new empty partition table.

3. Select the "FREE SPACE" of the drive you are installing to, press Enter, "Create a new partition" should already be selected; press Enter again.

4. Now create a boot partition. This is the unencrypted partition your system boots from. The standard is 254.8 MB. Type "254.8 MB" (without the quotes) and press Enter.

5. Under "Type for the new partition:", Primary should already be selected, press Enter again; Under "Location for the new partition: "Beginning" should already be selected, press Enter again to go to the Partition settings screen.

Use the following settings for your boot partition:

Use as:         Ext2 file system

Mount point:       /boot
Mount options:    noatime
Label:                 none
Reserved blocks:  5%
Typical Usage:     standard
Bootable flag:      on    

Then select "Done setting up the partition" and press Enter, you will be brought back to the main partitioning menu.

6. Select "Configure encrypted volumes" and press Enter, then select <Yes> when asked to write the changes to disk and configure encrypted volumes.

7. Create encrypted volumes should already be selected, press Enter and select the free space of the drive you are installing to by pressing the spacebar, then select <Continue> and press Enter again. Additional components will load, then you will be brought to the configuration page for your encrypted partition. Here you can customize your encryption settings.

Use as:      physical volume for encryption
Encryption method:   Device-mapper (dm-crypt)

Encryption: twofish 
[Recommend "twofish" and "serpent" as alternatives. "Serpent" is the slowest and only recommended if you have a fast system (and a fast drive), as it creates a lot of system overhead. "Twofish" is an algorithm created by Bruce Schneier, and is a lot faster, computationally-speaking. For most use-cases, "twofish" should be sufficient as an alternative algorithm]
Key size:     256 (leave as-is)
IV algorithm:  xts-plain64 
[for most use-cases, xts-plain64 should be sufficient. Do not change this unless you know what you are doing. You could inadvertently create a security hole]
Encryption key: Passphrase (leave as-is)
Erase data: yes (this will wipe the partition)
Bootable flag: off  

8. After you have completed your configuration, select "Done setting up this partition", and press Enter, then select <Yes> and press enter to write the changes to disk, then on the next screen select "Finish", and press Enter.

9. It is highly recommended that you erase the partition before you continue. Please note this may take a while for large drives. If you have already securely wiped your device before starting this installation, you can skip this step. To erase the partition, select <Yes> and press enter.

10. Choose a strong password. This password should be at LEAST 26 characters, including symbols. Remember: the stronger your password, the stronger your encryption. The weaker the password, the weaker your encryption. After entering your password and confirming it, you will be brought back to the main partitioning menu.

11. Under your new "Encrypted volume" (which should be at the top of the list), highlight the partition that was just created under it (it should say ext4), and press Enter. Under "Use as:", change this to "physical volume for LVM", and press Enter, then select "Done setting up the partition", and press Enter again to be brought back to the main partitioning menu.

12. Now select "Configure the Logical Volume Manager" and press Enter.

13. Highlight "Create volume group", and press Enter. Under "Volume group name:", enter HOST_VG, and press Enter.

14. Use the spacebar to select your encrypted partition, then select <Continue> and press Enter.

(Optional) SWAP USERS:

O1. Now create your swap partition. Highlight "Create logical volume" and press Enter, then select HOST_VG and press Enter again. Type SWAP, press Enter.

O2. Enter your volume size (2.5 GB is usually a good standard size for most systems) then select <Continue> and press Enter.

15. Highlight "Create logical volume" and press Enter, then select HOST_VG and press Enter again. Type ROOT, press Enter.

16. Under the "Logical volume size:", your entire volume should already be displayed, press Enter again.

17. Highlight "Finish", then press Enter to be brought back to the main partitioning menu.

18. You should see your new partition for ROOT displayed on this screen [LVM VG HOST_VG, LV ROOT - xxx.x GB Linux device-mapper (linear)]. Select the partition underneath the heading and press Enter

19. Change "do not use" to the filing system of your choice. Ext4 is good for most installations. XFS is more suitable for filesystems on top of encryption and is more robust with better performance. For the purposes of this documentation, the following configuration is provided:

Use as:             XFS journaling file system

Mount point:     / 
Mount options: defaults
Label:               none

20. Once you're done, select "Done setting up this partition", and press Enter to return to the main partitioning menu.

(Optional) SWAP USERS:

O1. You should see your new partition for SWAP displayed on this screen [LVM VG HOST_VG, LV SWAP - 2.5 GB Linux device-mapper (linear)]. Select the partition underneath the heading and press Enter.

O2. Change "do not use" to "swap area", and press Enter. Then select "Done setting up the partition" to return to the main partitioning menu.

21. Highlight "Finish partitioning and write changes to disk" and press Enter, then select <Yes> when asked to confirm the changes. Your installation will continue automatically.

Network Configuration

The external interface (usually eth0) may need to be configured according to the requirements of your local network, e.g. static or simply left to use dhcp if the gateway is connected to a dhcp capable router. For wlan follow the upstream documentations: debian wiki ^[archive], Ubuntu help ^[archive].

Make sure the internet is working.

Logon and upgrade Debian

Logon, install all security updates and reboot.

Login with "root"

Add a new repository source.

echo "deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian buster main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list

echo "deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian buster main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list

Add a new repository source. TODO: Is this needed?

echo "deb http://security.debian.org buster/updates main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list

echo "deb http://security.debian.org buster/updates main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list

Refresh package lists and upgrade.

apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade -y

apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade -y

Firmware Updating and Security Problems

As per Firmware_Security_and_Updates#Firmware_Updating_and_Security_Problems.

Update the package lists.

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get update

For Intel.

sudo apt-get install intel-microcode

sudo apt-get install intel-microcode

For AMD.

sudo apt-get install amd64-microcode

sudo apt-get install amd64-microcode

Preparation

Install sudo and git.

## Install "sudo" and git.
apt-get install sudo git -y

You must build as user "user" and that user must be a member of the "sudo" group. Rebooting applies the changes.

## Add "user" to "sudo" group
addgroup user sudo

## Reboot the system
shutdown -r now

## (host) login with "user"
user

Optional:
You may want to take an image of your installation in case the build script fails in the middle.

Get the Source Code

Get the Signing Key

This step is recommended for better security, but is not strictly required. (See Trust)

Get Whonix Signing Key.

Get the Source Code

FREE

By proceeding, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agreed to our Terms of Service and License Agreement.

Install git.

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install git

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install git

Get source code including git submodules.

git clone --depth=1 --branch 15.0.1.5.1-stable --jobs=4 --recurse-submodules --shallow-submodules https://gitlab.com/whonix/Whonix.git

git clone --depth=1 --branch 15.0.1.5.1-stable --jobs=4 --recurse-submodules --shallow-submodules https://gitlab.com/whonix/Whonix.git

Shift to the source folder.

cd Whonix

cd Whonix

OpenPGP Verify the Source Code

This chapter is recommended for better security, but is not strictly required.

Change directly into source code folder.

cd Whonix

cd Whonix

Git fetch.

git fetch

git fetch

Verify the chosen tag to build. Replace with tag you want to build.

git verify-tag 15.0.1.5.1-stable

git verify-tag 15.0.1.5.1-stable

The output should look similar to this.

object 1844108109a5f2f8bddcf2257b9f3675be5cfb22
type commit
tag 15.0.1.5.1
tagger Patrick Schleizer <adrelanos@whonix.org> 1392320095 +0000

.
gpg: Signature made Thu 13 Feb 2014 07:34:55 PM UTC using RSA key ID 77BB3C48
gpg: Good signature from "Patrick Schleizer <adrelanos@whonix.org>" [ultimate]

Check the GPG signature timestamp makes sense. For example, if you previously saw a signature from 2020 and now see a signature from 2019, then this might be a targeted rollback (downgrade) or indefinite freeze attack.

The warning.

gpg: WARNING: This key is not certified with a trusted signature!
gpg: There is no indication that the signature belongs to the owner.

Is explained on the Whonix Signing Key page and can be safely ignored.

By convention, git tags should point to signed git commits. (forum discussion ^[archive]) It is advisable to verify the signature of the git commit as well (replace 15.0.1.5.1 with the actual git tag being verified).

git verify-commit 15.0.1.5.1-stable^{commit}

git verify-commit 15.0.1.5.1-stable^{commit}

The output should look similar to this.

commit 5aa1c307c943be60e7d2bfa5727fa5ada3a79c4a
gpg: Signature made Sun 07 Dec 2014 01:22:22 AM UTC using RSA key ID 77BB3C48
gpg: Good signature from "Patrick Schleizer <adrelanos@whonix.org>" [ultimate]
Author: Patrick Schleizer <adrelanos@whonix.org>
Date: Sun Dec 7 01:22:22 2014 +0000

.

Choose Version

Retrieve a list of available git tags.

git --no-pager tag

git --no-pager tag

Use git checkout to select the preferred version to build.

git checkout --recurse-submodules 15.0.1.5.1-stable

git checkout --recurse-submodules 15.0.1.5.1-stable

Replace 15.0.1.5.1-stable with the actual version chosen for the build: the stable, testers-only or developers version. Common sense is required when choosing the right version number. For example, the latest available version number is not necessarily the most stable or suitable. Follow the Whonix ™ News Blog as it might contain information.

Check if you really got the version you want.

git describe

git describe

Should show:

15.0.1.5.1-stable

Check if source folder is pristine.

git status

git status

Should show nothing.

HEAD detached at 15.0.1.5.1-stable
nothing to commit, working tree clean

If it shows something else, do not continue.

Optional Build Configuration

See also Optional Build Configuration.

Network Verification

Before running the whonix_build script make sure eth1 and eth0 refer to the correct interfaces.

## May be helpful.
dmesg | grep eth

If you are using non-default network interface names, please click on Expand on the right.

Should be doable using non-default network interface names as well. Not as easy. Not fully documented. Untested.

One way would be to figure out how to change a network interface name such as wlan0 to eth0.

Otherwise you could consider to change the network interface names in the configuration files. To find the components that require configuration changes in the Whonix ™ source folder, the following commands may be helpful. Should be really only a very few files. We used variables for eth0 and eth1 wherever possible.

exclude="--exclude=README.md --exclude=control --exclude=changelog.upstream --exclude-dir=.git --exclude-dir=whonix-developer-meta-files --exclude-dir=build-steps.d --exclude-dir=qubes-whonix"

grep $exclude -r eth0 ~/{{project_name_short}}
grep $exclude -r eth1 ~/{{project_name_short}}

grep -l $exclude -r eth0 ~/{{project_name_short}}
grep -l $exclude -r eth1 ~/{{project_name_short}}

Should you decide to edit these files in Whonix ™ source folder, note to apply the build parameters from #Source Code Changes as well.

Another, perhaps better option might be to change the network interface names after Whonix ™ build script finished.

For example /home/user/Whonix/packages/whonix-ws-network-conf/etc/network/interfaces.d/30_non-qubes-whonix becomes /etc/network/interfaces.d/30_non-qubes-whonix.

/usr/bin/whonix_firewall

Do not edit. We use a drop-in config snippet instead.

/etc/whonix_firewall.d/30_default.conf

Use a drop-in config snippet instead.

Open file /etc/whonix_firewall.d/50_user.conf in an editor with root rights.

(Qubes-Whonix ™: In TemplateVM)

This box uses sudoedit for better security ^[archive]. This is an example and other tools could also achieve the same goal. If this example does not work for you or if you are not using Whonix, please refer to this link.

sudoedit /etc/whonix_firewall.d/50_user.conf

sudoedit /etc/whonix_firewall.d/50_user.conf

Add. Replace eth0 with your actual external network interface name as well as eth1 with your actual internal network interface name.

EXT_IF="eth0"
INT_IF="eth1"

Save.

/etc/network/interfaces.d/30_non-qubes-whonix

Manual edit required.

Open file /etc/network/interfaces.d/30_non-qubes-whonix' in an editor with root rights.

(Qubes-Whonix ™: In TemplateVM)

This box uses sudoedit for better security ^[archive]. This is an example and other tools could also achieve the same goal. If this example does not work for you or if you are not using Whonix, please refer to this link.

sudoedit /etc/network/interfaces.d/30_non-qubes-whonix'

sudoedit /etc/network/interfaces.d/30_non-qubes-whonix'

Replace interface names.

Save.

/uwt/usr/lib/uwtwrapper

Do not edit. Use a drop-in config snippet instead.

Required for Whonix-Workstation ™ in Whonix ™ 14 and above only.

Open file /etc/uwt.d/50_user.conf in an editor with root rights.

(Qubes-Whonix ™: In TemplateVM)

This box uses sudoedit for better security ^[archive]. This is an example and other tools could also achieve the same goal. If this example does not work for you or if you are not using Whonix, please refer to this link.

sudoedit /etc/uwt.d/50_user.conf

sudoedit /etc/uwt.d/50_user.conf

Add. Replace eth0 interface name.

bindp_interface="eth0"

/usr/bin/leaktest

Not important. Manual edit required.

/usr/lib/whonixcheck/check_network_interfaces.bsh

Manual edit required. Will break when whonixcheck gets upgraded. Then it needs to be edited again. This will be configurable in Whonix ™ 14 so the setting survives whonixcheck upgrades.

/etc/sudoers.d/whonixcheck

Do not edit. Use a drop-in config snippet instead.

Use any editor of your choice.

sudo EDITOR=nano visudo -f /etc/sudoers.d/whonixcheck-user

Add. Replace eth0 and eth1 with your network interface names.

whonixcheck ALL=NOPASSWD: /sbin/ifconfig eth0
whonixcheck ALL=NOPASSWD: /sbin/ifconfig eth1

Save.

/usr/lib/systemd/system/onion-grater.service.d/30_cpfpy.conf

Systemd may fail to start onion-grater if this file isn't configured properly. Replace any appearances of old interface names with your corresponding interface names. Restart onion-grater.service and confirm active status.

TODO: better use a drop-in /usr/lib/systemd/system/onion-grater.service.d/50_user.conf. See Configuration Files.

systemctl restart onion-grater.service
systemctl status onion-grater.service

Minor Things

Most configuration files work well inside Virtual Machines and on hardware. Only minor things such as deactivating powersaving, passwordless reboot, shutdown etc. are only recommended for Virtual Machines. You can easily comment them out by putting a hash # in front of them. They are marked, to find them, grep can be used. Skip this for now. You can change these files later after building Whonix ™. (Simpler.)

grep -r VMONLY* *

Run Build Script

It is recommended that you create a log of the build process by redirecting all the output to a log file. Be aware that by doing so no build progress will appear on the screen - instead a text log file will be created in your home folder.

sudo ./whonix_build --flavor whonix-gateway-xfce --target root --build >> ~/log-phyiso 2>&1

To optionally watch the progress, open a second virtual console and type.

tail -f ~/log-phyiso

If don't want to create a log of the build process (the build progress will then appear on screen) use the following command.

This is not recommended because if anything goes wrong during the build, it will be harder to pinpoint the exact error without the actual log file.

sudo ./whonix_build --flavor whonix-gateway --target root --build

Final Steps

Reboot.

sudo reboot

Login as new user "user". (If you didn't install as user "user", your old user and home folder does of course still exist.)

• This is untested since use /etc/network/interfaces.d instead of /etc/network/interfaces ^[archive] was implemented. Please test and leave feedback. whonix-gw-network-conf ^[archive] ships a file /etc/network/interfaces.d/30_non-qubes-whonix ^[archive]. Usually it should not conflict with your /etc/network/interfaces. If it does, consider removing source-directory /etc/network/interfaces.d from /etc/network/interfaces (if there are no other files in /etc/network/interfaces.d folder) or moving /etc/network/interfaces.d/30_non-qubes-whonix out of the way. (sudo mv /etc/network/interfaces.d/30_non-qubes-whonix ~/)

Done.

Cleanup

OPTIONAL!

Remove temporary files.

WARNING: This will run git clean -d --force --force in Whonix's main source code folder ^[archive] (~/Whonix) as well as in all sub folders of the Whonix packages folder ^[archive] ~/Whonix/packages. This means, if you knowingly added any files to any of these folders that have not been committed to git, these will be deleted.

./help-steps/cleanup-files

./help-steps/cleanup-files

How To Install Whonix-Gateway ™ in a VM (UNTESTED / NOT RECOMMENDED)

It is advised to install a new OS just for hosting the Gateway VM, any OS that can run VirtualBox works but we recommend an Open Source system.

Download the Whonix-Gateway ™ image. (Or build it from source code.)

Adapter 1 can be set up as a NAT network. Adapter 2 must either be set to NAT as well (but you will need to forward ports from the host to the guest) or much simpler: use bridged networking and set it to the second physical interface (the one that goes into the isolated network/point to point ethernet). See "NAT vs Bridging" below.

This configuration is entirely untested and not recommended unless you need to run Tor through an unsupported 3G modem and can't afford a 3rd physical device.

When using NAT for a virtualized Gateway you need to set up port forwarding in VirtualBox. Using bridged network may be easier, but then the router may see the Whonix-Gateway ™ MAC address which identifies as Whonix-Gateway ™. (Should not be of concern in home networks. Should be of concern in untrusted networks or when using a modem to connect.)

Install Whonix-Workstation ™ in a VM (RECOMMENDED)

First Steps

Install and update a host operating system. On the host can run any OS that is capable of running VirtualBox, but be aware of Transparent Proxy Leaks ^[archive]. It is recommended against to use Windows or another other commercial proprietary system as host operating system.

Download the Whonix-Workstation ™ image. (Or build it from source code.)

Note sure what we wanted to say with this sentence: If the physical network (between Whonix-Gateway ™ and a router) uses 10.152.152.* you need to review and edit all shell scripts and switch the internal network to something else!

Host Network Adapter

The host has to be configured to use the static IP configuration.

## {{workstation_product_name}}
## /etc/network/interfaces for the host,
## when using Physical Isolation,
## with {{workstation_product_name}} in a VM.

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
   ## Increment last octet of address
   ## on optional additional hosts.
   address 10.152.152.11 
   netmask 255.255.192.0
   gateway 10.152.152.10
   #pre-up /usr/bin/whonix_firewall

   ## Out commented.
   ## For what do we require the network and broadcast
   ## instances anyway?
   #network 10.152.152.0
   #broadcast 10.152.152.255

#auto eth0
#iface eth0 inet dhcp

## end of /etc/network/interfaces

If the physical network (between Whonix-Gateway ™ and a router) uses 10.152.152.* you need to review and edit all /etc/network/interfaces.

NAT vs Bridging

Two Choices

In the default Whonix ™ VirtualBox image, the network adapter setting for Adapter 1 (eth0) is set to internal network and will therefore not work out of the box. There are two choices to fix this. NAT (recommended) or bridged network.

NAT (RECOMMENDED)

If you use NAT you will have to edit the /etc/network/interfaces in Whonix-Workstation ™ to use DHCP (easier, shown in the example below) or a static IP for VirtualBox NAT.

sudoedit /etc/network/interfaces

Replace it with.

## {{workstation_product_name}}
## /etc/network/interfaces in a VM
## when using Physical Isolation.

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp

## end of /etc/network/interfaces

Bridged Network (UNTESTED / NOT RECOMMENDED)

If you use bridged networking things will (or should, we haven't tested anything yet) just work.

Since in the bridged network case, Whonix-Workstation ™ can see the MAC address of whatever network adapter it is connected to, you should change the MAC address of the Workstation host and of the Whonix-Gateway ™.

See Whonix ™ in public networks.

Macvtap on KVM

Change the network source of the ethernet nic to "macvtap" and the source mode to "passthrough" Be aware, you can't use networking on the host anymore.

Attach an USB-ethernet adapter to the VM

Remove the network adapter from the VM and instead attach an USB-ethernet adapter to the host and redirect it to the VM.

Install Whonix-Workstation ™ on hardware (NOT RECOMMENDED)

Install Whonix-Workstation ™ on hardware without using a VM is recommended against, because hardware serials would be visible to Whonix-Workstation ™.

The instructions are very similar, if not the very same, to those in "How To Install Whonix-Gateway ™ on hardware" above. You have to use --flavor whonix-workstation instead of --flavor whonix-gateway.

Expected Build Warnings

dpkg-source: warning: extracting unsigned source package

dpkg-source: warning: extracting unsigned source package (anon-gw-anonymizer-config_5.0-1.dsc)

etc.

This does not affect the build.

Can not write log, openpty() failed (/dev/pts not mounted?)

This does not affect the build.

[....] Your system does not have the CPU extensions required to use KVM. Not doing anything. ...[ FAIL ]

This does not affect the build.

[....] Stopping VirtualBox kernel modules [ ok ].
[....] Starting VirtualBox kernel modules[....] No suitable module for running kernel found ...[ FAIL ]
invoke-rc.d: initscript virtualbox, action "restart" failed.

This does not affect the build.

WARNING: The character device /dev/vboxdrv does not exist.
	 Please install the virtualbox-ose-dkms package and the appropriate
	 headers, most likely linux-headers-486.

	 You will not be able to start VMs until this problem is fixed.

This does not affect the build.

dpkg: warning: failed to open configuration file '/root/.dpkg.cfg' for reading: Permission denied

This does not affect the build.

sudo: unable to resolve host host

This does not affect the build.

Related forum topic:
Expected Build Warnings ^[archive]

After installing

Further required reading: Documentation. The host security chapter applies to both computers!

Read and apply the Post Installation Security Advice.

Stay tuned

It is absolutely crucial to subscribe to and read the latest Whonix news category 'important-news' to stay in touch with ongoing developments. This way users benefit from notifications concerning important security advisories, potential upgrade issues and improved releases which address identified issues, like those affecting the updater or other core elements.

Stay Tuned

Whonix ™ News Forums

For user convenience, there are multiple avenues for receiving news. Choose the most suitable option below.

1. Whonix ™ Important News Forum Tag ^[archive] (v3 onion ^[archive]) - Only critical information is reported. This includes security advisories specific to Whonix ™ and new stable Whonix ™ versions. It is best suited for people with very limited time and interest in Whonix ™ development and news.
2. Whonix ™ News Forums ^[archive] (v3 onion ^[archive]) - This includes everything including important news and has a relaxed posting policy. Testers-only and developers Whonix ™ versions are announced here, along with the publishing of news about updated articles, new features, future features, development, calls for testing, general project ideas and so on.
3. Whonix ™ Newsletter ^[archive] - Has not been used yet. Will be used very infrequently for major news only.
4. Other choices.

If time-constrained, users should at least read the Whonix ™ Important News Forum Tag. Follow the Whonix ™ News Forums if detailed anonymity / privacy / security-related issues are of interest, or to follow recent Whonix ™ developments.

Debian Security Announcements

Since Whonix ™ is based on Debian, users should consider subscribing to the Debian security announcement mailing list ^[archive] to stay informed about the latest security advisories. See also chapter Debian Security Announcements.

Operating System Updates

As strongly recommended in the Security Guide, it is necessary to regularly check for operating system updates on the host operating system, and both the Whonix-Workstation ™ and Whonix-Gateway ™.

Social Media Profiles

There are some Whonix ™ Social Media Profiles online, but please do not rely on them for the latest Whonix ™ News or to contact Whonix ™ developers (see Contact for contact information).

As some users will disregard this advice, messages from the Whonix ™ Feature Blog are most times posted on Whonix ™ Telegram News Channel ^[archive], Whonix ™ Twitter Profile ^[archive] and the Whonix ™ Facebook Profile ^[archive]. However, they are most times not mirrored to other Whonix social media profiles.

If it is safe to inform others about Whonix ™, feel free to Contribute via an anonymous account that follows or likes these profiles. This page can be shared on: Twitter | Facebook.

Source Code

If Whonix source code updates are of interest, subscribe to code changes.

Tor Bootstrap

Tor bootstrap refers to the process of attempting to connect to the Tor network (successfully or unsuccessfully). Familiar output related to this process includes: "Tor connecting xx percent...", "Tor not connected", "Tor connected" and so on. Bootstrapping does not refer to related concepts, such as whether connections are "secure", "not secure", "anonymous" or "not anonymous".

Tor Browser

Tor Browser's built-in update check mechanism also works in Whonix ™, so use it whenever updates become available.

For additional information about Tor Browser updates see Tor Browser. Additionally, consider subscribing to https://blog.torproject.org ^[archive] for developments from The Tor Project.

Running whonixcheck

whonixcheck verifies that the Whonix system is up-to-date and that everything is in proper working order.

Users can manually run whonixcheck to check the system status by following the steps below.

How to Manually Run whonixcheck

If you are using Qubes-Whonix ™, complete the following steps.

Qubes App Launcher (blue/grey "Q") → click on the Whonix VM you want to check → whonixcheck / System Check

If you are using a graphical Whonix, complete the following steps.

Start Menu → System → whonixcheck

If you are using a terminal-only Whonix, complete the following steps.

whonixcheck

whonixcheck

Depending on the system specifications, whonixcheck may take up to a few minutes to run. Assuming everything is working as intended, the output should highlight each INFO heading in green (not red). A successful whonixcheck process results in output similar to the sample below.

Sample whonixcheck Output

[INFO] [whonixcheck] anon-whonix | Whonix-Workstation | whonix-ws-15 TemplateBased AppVM | Sat 09 Nov 2019 03:40:10 AM UTC
[INFO] [whonixcheck] Connected to Tor.
[INFO] [whonixcheck] Whonix APT Repository: Enabled.
When the Whonix team releases BUSTER-PROPOSED-UPDATES updates, they will be AUTOMATICALLY installed (when you run apt-get dist-upgrade) along with updated packages from the Debian team. Please read http://www.dds6qkxpwdeubwucdiaord2xgbbeyds25rbsgr73tbfpqpt4a6vjwsyd.onion/wiki/Trust ^[archive] to understand the risk.
If you want to change this, use:
sudo whonix_repository
[INFO] [whonixcheck] Debian Package Update Check: Checking for software updates via apt-get... ( Documentation: http://www.dds6qkxpwdeubwucdiaord2xgbbeyds25rbsgr73tbfpqpt4a6vjwsyd.onion/wiki/Update ^[archive] )
[INFO] [whonixcheck] Debian Package Update Check Result: No updates found via apt-get.
[INFO] [whonixcheck] Please donate!
See: http://www.dds6qkxpwdeubwucdiaord2xgbbeyds25rbsgr73tbfpqpt4a6vjwsyd.onion/wiki/Donate ^[archive]

Whonix Repository Testers

Whonix requires a critical mass of users to properly test planned updates by enabling the stable-proposed-updates or testers repository. Otherwise, bugs might go undiscovered and be inadvertently introduced into the stable repository.

To ensure a stable Whonix system is available at all times, willing testers should:

• Create new Whonix-Workstation ™ and Whonix-Gateway ™ TemplateVMs solely for testing.
• Enable the stable-proposed-updates or testers repository via the Whonix repository tool.
• Platform-specific advice:
  
  • Non-Qubes-Whonix ™: Create a clean snapshot or use Multiple Whonix-Workstation ™ / Multiple Whonix-Gateway ™.
  • Qubes-Whonix ™: Use Multiple TemplateVMs and separate sys-whonix-test and anon-whonix-test TemplateBasedVMs.

Then perform normal user activities.

Please only report bugs after first searching relevant Whonix forums and developer portals for the problem.

Footnotes

---

Whonix ™ is Supported by Evolution Host DDoS Protected VPS. Stay private and get your VPS with Bitcoin or Monero.

---

Jobs in USA

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Search engines: YaCy | Qwant | ecosia | MetaGer | peekier | Whonix ™ Wiki

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Follow:

Support:

Donate:

Share: Twitter | Facebook

We are looking for help in managing our social media accounts. Are you interested?

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.

Extra packages for better hardware support

Some packages for bare metal may or may not be missing. Here is a probably incomplete list of packages, which may or may not be useful for better hardware support. Some suggestions.

xorg
xserver-xorg-input-all
xserver-xorg-input-wacom
xserver-xorg-input-geode
xserver-xorg-input-vmmouse
xserver-xephyr

xserver-xorg-input-*
xserver-xorg-*

acpi-support-base
acpid
acpi

discover
discover-modprobe
discover-data

hwdata

mdetect

apt-cache show task-desktop
apt-cache show task-kde-desktop
apt-cache show task-laptop

If you have EFI bios.

grub-efi-amd64

To get a more complete list, install Debian (with KDE) on bare metal using the regular Debian installer medium.

• diff "dpkg -l" with Whonix
• diff "sudo lsmod" with Whonix
• contribute your findings

• See also: http://wiki.debian.org/HardwareAutodetection ^[archive]

Troubleshooting

• Slow network speed? Eventually it is the fault of your wifi driver? We had such a report ^[archive] in the forum.
• No connection between Whonix-Gateway ™ and Whonix-Workstation ™? Could have something to do with Auto-MDIX ^[archive]. We had such a report ^[archive] in the forum.

All Platforms

"apt-get source package" will show "dpkg-source: warning: failed to verify signature"

This is not a security issue, but only a warning. Read the entire thread here ^[archive] for more information.

This warning message can be removed with the following workaround below.

1. Modify /etc/dpkg/origins/default

sudo unlink /etc/dpkg/origins/default

sudo unlink /etc/dpkg/origins/default

sudo ln -s /etc/dpkg/origins/debian /etc/dpkg/origins/default

sudo ln -s /etc/dpkg/origins/debian /etc/dpkg/origins/default

2. Download the source package.

apt-get source package

apt-get source package

3. Undo afterwards to prevent unexpected issues.

sudo unlink /etc/dpkg/origins/default

sudo unlink /etc/dpkg/origins/default

sudo ln -s /etc/dpkg/origins/whonix /etc/dpkg/origins/default

sudo ln -s /etc/dpkg/origins/whonix /etc/dpkg/origins/default

Proxychains Tor Browser Issue

Using Tor Browser in conjunction with proxychains for the connection scheme: User → Tor → Proxy → Internet
does not currently work. For more information, see here.

VirtualBox

ATA Freeze

If you see the following error and freezing.

433.348893] mptscsih: ioc0: attempting target reset! (sc=ffff81021b950940)
433.348896] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] CDB: ATA command pass through(16): 85 08
0e 00 d5 00 01 00 09 00 4f 00 c2 00 b0 00
433.605026] mptscsih: ioc0: target reset: SUCCESS (sc=ffff81021b950940

It is a known ^[archive] issue and hardware-specific - VirtualBox upstream bug report: https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/10031 ^[archive]
This cannot be fixed by the Whonix team and patches are required.

It has been reported ^[archive] that running from an internal HDD/SSD works better than running from external devices.
One workaround might be avoiding high load on your host operating system. If this bug causes a lot of problems, then your only option is to switch to another platform.

Non-Qubes-Whonix

Non-Qubes-Whonix ™ means all Whonix ™ platforms except Qubes-Whonix ™. This includes Whonix ™ KVM, Whonix ™ VirtualBox and Whonix ™ Physical Isolation.

Mounting (CD / DVD) Devices

If the device auto mounter is broken, see if Start menu → System Settings → Removable Media helps.

The following workaround can be used.

sudo mkdir /mnt/cdrom

sudo mkdir /mnt/cdrom

sudo mount -o ro /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom/

sudo mount -o ro /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom/

Using the ro flag will mount the CD / DVD in read-only mode. If a CD / DVD is not being mounted, then drop the "-o ro" parameter.

Forum discussion:
https://forums.whonix.org/t/workstation11-doesnt-mount-hdds/1313 ^[archive]

Help fixing this bug is welcome! (ticket ^[archive])

Network Manager Systray Unmanaged Devices

Short answer: Unmanaged devices are unrelated to Whonix functioning and should not concern the user.
Long answer:

Suspend / Hibernate Issues

Short: Avoid suspending or hilbernating the computer or Whonix VMs while Whonix is running.

Long: Network Time Syncing, Clock Fix.

VLC / Video Player Crash

The following workaround can be used; this is the default in recent builds (like Whonix 14).

VLC → Tools → Preferences → Video → Output → X11 → Save

Security and Support Status

Whonix ™ Physical Isolation has no dedicated contributor. It is a leftover from previous times, where no other supported platforms were supported. This setup, these instructions still work. Some users are still using them. But Patrick's focus has now moved to Qubes. Grave security issues are unlikely due to Whonix ™ design. There is no Whonix ™ contributors member testing Whonix ™ physical isolation. No progress on the Whonix ™ Physical Isolation development task list ^[archive] should be expected. That's why the supported platforms table lists Physical Isolation in the column 'security' with 'experimental'.

Help Wanted

• work on the Whonix ™ Physical Isolation development task list ^[archive] (not even filled up)
• Become Whonix ™ Physical Isolation contributor so the #Security and Support Status can be improved.

Footnotes / References

Expand all Collapse all

---

Whonix ™ is Supported by Evolution Host DDoS Protected VPS. Stay private and get your VPS with Bitcoin or Monero.

---

Jobs in USA

---

Search engines: YaCy | Qwant | ecosia | MetaGer | peekier | Whonix ™ Wiki

---

Follow:

Support:

Donate:

Share: Twitter | Facebook

Want to make Whonix safer and more usable? We're looking for helping hands. Check out the Open Issues ^[archive] and development forum ^[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.