Available release of distribution Whonix 17.2, aimed at providing guaranteed anonymity, security and protection of private information. The distribution is based on Debian GNU/Linux and uses Tor to ensure anonymity. The projects of the project are distributed under the GPLV3 license. For downloads prepared images of virtual machines in OVA format for VirtualBox (2.1 GB C XFCE and 1.4 GB of console). The image can also be adapted for use with the KVM hypervisor.
The feature of Whonix is the division of the distribution into two separately launched components – Whonix-Gateway with the implementation of a network gateway for anonymous communications and Whonix-Workstation with a desktop. Both components are delivered inside one loading image. The Whonix-Workstation network is exit to the network only through the Whonix-Gateway gateway, which isolates the working environment from direct interaction with the outside world and allows the use of only fictitious network addresses. A similar approach allows to protect the user from leakage of a real IP address in case of hacking a web browser and even during the operation of a vulnerability that gives an attacking ROOT access to the system.
Whonix-Workstation hacking will allow the attacker to get only fictitious network parameters, since the real IP and DNS parameters are hidden abroad of a network gateway operating on the basis of Whonix-Gateway, which directs traffic only through Tor. It should be borne in mind that the Whonix components are designed to launch in the form of guest systems, i.e. The possibility of exploitation of critical 0-day vulnerabilities in virtualization platforms, which can provide access to the host system, is not excluded. In this regard, it is not recommended to launch Whonix-Workstation on the same computer as Whonix-Gateway.
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