sysmaint - System Maintenance User

Whonix ®

Download

Windows Linux Mac VirtualBox KVM Qubes Intel / AMD64 ARM64 PPC64 USB ISO Raspberry Pi More options Source Code

About

Overview Features Whonix vs VPNs Why Open Source? Project Activities Contributors Mission & Vision

Docs

Documentation FAQ Troubleshooting

Community

Forums Forum Best Practices Contribute

Support

Self Support First Policy Search Engines, Docs and AI Support (Limited) Reporting Bugs Contact (Restricted)

Tools Upload file Special pages Recent changes Print Version Page meta What links here Related changes Page information

Page Read Edit History Move Protection Unwatch Watch Delete Purge

User Preferences Watchlist Contributions Logout Create account Login

Donate

Whonix specific sysmaint account documentation. Default Installation Status Differences:

• Whonix-Workstation versus Whonix-Gateway;
• GUI (Xfce) versus CLI;
• Older versions versus new images.

Starting from Whonix-Workstation version 17.3.0.5 Xfce and above, Whonix comes with user-sysmaint-split by default.

There are two accounts:

• user - For daily activities.
• sysmaint - For system maintenance administrative activities, such as installing software or upgrading.

This is a security feature. ( rationale)

The opposite of user-sysmaint-split is Unrestricted Admin Mode, which users can opt in to enable.

Version Overview

Feature	Whonix-Workstation Xfce (GUI)	Whonix-Gateway Xfce (GUI)	Whonix-Workstation CLI	Whonix-Gateway CLI
user-sysmaint-split	Yes, installed by default in new images.	No, not installed by default.	No, not installed by default.	No, not installed by default.
Old Versions	No, will not be automatically installed during the Whonix 17 release cycle to avoid breaking existing user workflows.	No, will remain sudo passwordless by default for better usability.	No, not applicable, will remain sudo passwordless by default.	No, not applicable, will remain sudo passwordless by default.
New Images	Yes, will come with user-sysmaint-split installed by default.	No, will remain sudo passwordless by default and user-sysmaint-split will not be included.	No, user-sysmaint-split will not be included.	No, user-sysmaint-split will not be included.
17 to 18 Release Upgrade	Yes, user-sysmaint-split will be installed by default.	No change. Will remain sudo passwordless by default.	No, user-sysmaint-split will not be included.	No, user-sysmaint-split will not be included.
Opt-Out	Yes, supported via custom configurations.	Yes	Yes	Yes
Opt-In	Yes, user-sysmaint-split can be installed at any time.	Yes	Yes	Yes

user-sysmaint-split - Whonix-Workstation versus Whonix-Gateway - Default Installation Status Differences

This is because, according to the threat model and usage instructions, the user should not use Whonix-Gateway for anything other than running and configuring Tor. End-user applications, such as a browser, should be run inside Whonix-Workstation. Therefore, according to our current understanding, user-sysmaint-split would have no security benefit for Whonix-Gateway. As a result, Whonix-Gateway will remain sudo passwordless by default for better usability. Whonix-Workstation will come with user-sysmaint-split installed by default.

user-sysmaint-split - GUI vs CLI - Default Installation Status Differences

user-sysmaint-split is different for the graphical user interface (GUI) versus the command line interface (CLI) version.

In the future, the CLI version will be improved to be more suitable for servers.

Server support for user-sysmaint-split, however, isn't as sophisticated yet as it is for the GUI version. For some server use cases, user-sysmaint-split may be less needed or unneeded. This topic is elaborated in the development chapter user-sysmaint-split Server Support.

Upstream

Kicksecure Hardened

Redirection to Kicksecure Documentation

Incomplete: This wiki page is incomplete by design. It only includes details specific to Whonix. For full understanding, please follow the link below to the Kicksecure wiki, which provides more complete background and instructions.

• Introduction: Whonix Documentation Introduction, User Expectations, Footnotes and References, User Expectations - What Documentation Is and What It Is Not
• Whonix is based on Kicksecure^™: Whonix is built on top of Kicksecure. This means it uses many of the same security tools, design concepts, and configurations.
• Kicksecure is based on Debian: Kicksecure is developed using Debian as its base. Debian is a widely used, stable, and free Linux operating system.
• Inheritance: As a result, Whonix is also based on Debian.
• Debian is GNU/Linux-based: Debian is built using the GNU/Linux operating system. GNU provides essential tools and Linux is the system’s kernel (core).
• Shared documentation benefits: Since each system is based on the one below it, a lot of documentation and guides are shared. This reduces the need to duplicate information.
• Inherited documentation: Most instructions and explanations are inherited from Kicksecure or Debian, unless otherwise specified.
• Shared principles: The systems share similar security goals and setup instructions. In most cases, users can follow Kicksecure documentation when using Whonix.
• Keep using Whonix: This does not mean users should switch to Kicksecure. This page only points to related, helpful information.
• Where to apply the instructions: Follow the instructions inside Whonix unless specifically stated otherwise.
• Wiki editors notice: This information is pulled from a reusable wiki template: upstream_wiki. (See which pages use this.)
• Comparison: Whonix versus Kicksecure
• Documentation compatibility: Because Whonix is based on Kicksecure, you can often follow Kicksecure’s instructions as long as you apply them in the right place.
• Summary: Whonix is built on top of Kicksecure, which itself is based on Debian. Debian is a GNU/Linux operating system. This layered design means Whonix inherits many features, tools, and documentation from both Kicksecure and Debian.
• Click here: Visit the related page in the Kicksecure wiki for full documentation and background:

Sysmaint

• Note: Re-interpretation...

Apply the instructions inside Whonix, not inside Kicksecure.

Kicksecure: Perform these steps inside Kicksecure.

Instead, apply the steps inside Whonix-Workstation.

Kicksecure for Qubes: Perform these steps inside Qubes kicksecure-17 Template.

Instead, use the whonix-workstation-17 Template for these steps.

Footnotes

Whonix The most watertight privacy operating system in the world.

Dark mode

Follow us on social media

Supported by Power Up Privacy

Whonix is proudly supported until 2025 by Power Up Privacy, a privacy advocacy group that seeks to supercharge privacy projects with resources so they can complete their mission of making our world a better place. (Strictly subject to our sponsorship policy.)

At Whonix we value freedom and trust, supporting Open Source and Freedom Software

By using this website, you acknowledge you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these agreements: Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, E-Sign Consent, DMCA, Imprint 2012- 2025 ENCRYPTED SUPPORT LLC

Your support makes
all the difference!

We believe security software like Whonix needs to remain open source and independent. Would you help sustain and grow the project? Learn more about our 13 year success story and maybe DONATE!