[gentoo-user] Re: Tails security implemetation

[James]

Nils Gillmann <niasterisk <at> grrlz.net> writes:


> >> > So I just read about how Tails is now available on Debian [1].
> >> > [1] https://bits.debian.org/2016/02/tails-installer-in-debian.html
> >> > [2] https://tails.boum.org/blueprint/bootstrapping/installer/
> > Trimmed down per gmane posting rules.
> Could you provide a link, so I could look into the rules, as the
> gentoo.org pages dealing with the lists show no difference to
> what I am used to on other lists.

http://news.gmane.org/gmane.linux.gentoo.user

gmane.org is a front end to this and other lists that I use. I complains
loudly if you post is shorter than what you respond to as included text.
Just use it a bit and you'll see.


> >> There are gentoo based systems with security in mind, but I am not
>  >> very positive about re-creating Tails on current state of Gentoo.

> I have to rephrase this. It is possible, but I personaly don't
> see a benefit in reinventing the 10th generation of wheels (a
> widespread issue). For research, well, why not.

No harm in using debian, to me. I just like to keep the things I do
in the gentoo family, as opposed to running all sorts of other linux
distros. For a person working alone, there are only so many hours 
in the day.


> > Hmmmm. LikeWhoa, one of the gentoo devs, put together a gentoo install
> > system from usb, that includes persistence, quite some time ago. [B]
> >> Tails and/or Whonix have tried and shifted focus away from Gentoo
> >> for reasons which can be read on their github repo wiki and with
> >> good websearches.
> See next reply.
> > Tails is the tor-node on a usb, with persistence, or did I miss some of
> > the deeper capabilities? Having a debian and gentoo similar (anonymous)
> > device does seem a bit enticing to me. For sure it'd be a great
> > additional protection for credit card usage over the net, in addition
> > to the existing pathetic protections folks currently have.
> > I certainly appreciate your candor. However, I cannot find the listing of
> > issues with these aforementioned codes(packages) on gentoo. All I think I
> > really need it the software (packages) listings and some guidelines and
> > gotchas. Also you should look at Anthony's excellent works [C]. I'd
> > ceratainly appreciate a bit more detail (private email is ok too), or a
> > 'data dump' on exactly what problems exist.  My interest is to master a
> > similar device for stealth usage, that is gentoo centric. Most of the pieces
> > seem to be present, so it's mostly an integration and testing effort?

> Okay, I think I was wrong. I got mixed up with Whonix and Tails
> coming together, what whonix did run into is listed here:
> https://github.com/Whonix/Gentoo-Port/issues

Excellent!

> Back then I did not look very closely. It might be that some of
> the 1 - 1.5 year old issues are closed now.

LikeWhoa's work did not get disseminated widely for quit a while, so
you are not alone in missing persistence with usb and live installs.
I'm not sure he is the first, but, his work here at gentoo is always
appreciated and top-notch.
 

tinhat and Blueness's other works beccame very close to what I was looking
for. It did not have a ebtables/iptables/nftables frontend so I have
struggled to put that together on one tinhat system. I think the whonix
gateway mostly solves that issue, or at least provides a similarly
functioning codebase to start with, for what I'm looking for.


> I only did stop because I became sceptical on some parts of the
> Gentoo project and looked for better solutions to topic unrelated
> issues. Currently I am interested in doing the same thing with
> GuixSD or with Gentoo running Guix, although that's a rather long
> term project and not my primary focus of interest.

I'm challenged enough trying to build something like Tails+Whonix
on a usb-stick for now, gentoo centric. Sure after that I'd also be
interested in it's VM modifications, so it can be easily installed in a
variety of server (cluster) situations.

Thanks for all of your help and insight.

James