Re: [Tails-dev] allow read only usb images

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Autor: Jurre
Data:  
Dla: tails-dev
Temat: Re: [Tails-dev] allow read only usb images
Disclaimer, i'm not a developer of Tails.

Dear Elmar,

As you might understand, keeping *everyone* up-to-date individually is
very laborious about upcoming changes. However, you can follow a long on
the bugtracker. For example:
https://redmine.tails.boum.org/code/projects/tails/issues?query_id=310
these are good indication for what might happen in the upcoming release
(3.14).

All the best,
Jurre


On 3/30/19 6:05 PM, Elmar Stellnberger wrote:
> Dear developers of tails,
>
>   My security infrastructure has suffered a significant setback since
> you have decided to separate usb and cd images. I need a read only
> image that can be booted from a read only usb stick or in my case from
> a read-only sdcard used with an sdcard reader that supports write
> protection. This is very important. I do not want my tails media to
> become tampered whenever a singleton tails session has been cracked.
> It is known that intelligence services hunt especially for tor and
> tails users as anyone who uses encryption is suspicious. With todays
> browsers it is very easy to crack a system for intelligence services
> who have several zero days exploits by hand. Even worse when your
> system has become cracked and you want to download a subsequent tor
> version that download will be tampered as well. Besides this your
> security system using signing with very new keys is a very bad
> decision. If you have to download the key file with https the whole
> download is not more secure than an arbitrary https download. The way
> out would be to offer SHA512sums which can be checked independently
> whenever you know the iso size. With SHA512sums you can download tails
> with one tails version and then download just the SHA512sums with
> another tails version. Currently I have to download the iso twice and
> compare both. I do not trust your gpg keys. Even when they are new
> they will be cracked within a few milliseconds if you decide to store
> those keys on an online machine where you also use a browser or an
> email program. I do not trust your gpg key because you have actually
> failed to set up a trustworthy offline strategy which will need to be
> described on your homepage tails.boum.org. Anyway I believe the
> SHA512sum to be the more easy, simple and therefore also to be the
> more reliable tool to check the integrity of a download. f.i. You can
> note the SHA512sum on a sheet of paper (and I was regularely doing
> this) which is impossible for a gpg signature. A recent download of
> OpenBSD showed me once more how important download security is. The
> tampered download was uncovered by sha256sums and not by the signing
> tool signify. Currently the only way out for tails is to have a copy
> of the usb image on another read only media and to compare after every
> boot (very laborious, uff!). Unfortunately using a CD is not a real
> option for my case. Besides the fact that burning new read only CDs
> produces a lot of litter CDs are a way bigger and larger than sdcards.
> It is a fact that I need to carry the sdcards with me as personnel
> from secret services used to enter my home regularely. I have noted
> this by a handle of my window to be changed very oftenly when I left
> (I have asserted that no one else was at home during the time in
> question). Secondly I had used an offline computer after 2011 to
> analyse a cracked system. One day when I came back I found that
> computer with an overwritten parition table.
>   At least I believe that supplying a modified DVD image (which is
> read only to its content) that does also boot from USB sticks by a
> modified bootloader should not be that hard to do. The USB image does
> in a fact boot right after the GUI dialog for selecting the language
> but then it hangs on a read only medium when you want to get into the
> GUI for the browser and the console.
>
>   I have prepared some material for you on my home page concerning
> gpg-security and alledged problems with intelligence services (they
> can easily enter your home when you take your mobile phone with you;
> can´t they?):
>
> https://www.elstel.org/CyberAttack-elstel.html.en
> https://www.elstel.org/software/GnuPG-usage.html.en
>
>   Please keep me updated about any planned changes/ countermeasures
> for tails!
>
> Yours Sincerely,
> Elmar Stellnberger
>
>
>
>
>
>
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