Use the Internet without leaving a trace with Tails 1.5

Synaptic

Like a standard Debian for package management, Tails provides the apt-get command-line command and the graphical package management tool Synaptic. You therefore have all the programs and packages from the Debian package sources at your disposal. However, because Tails is designed as a live-only system and manually installing additional software brings security risks, it requires quite a bit of overhead to permanently integrate additional programs in the operating system. Requirements for permanently installing new software include a persistent drive and an active root account, which you can set up in the advanced options in the login window when booting the system.

The APT Packages and APT Lists options must be set in the persistent storage area's configuration in the setup dialog under Configure persistent volume . If the requirements are met, open the /live/persistence/TailsData_unlocked/live-additional-software.conf file in a root terminal and enter each package to be permanently installed in a new line. After saving the file, start Synaptic, authenticate it using the root account and install the predetermined programs.

Conclusions

Tails doesn't do things by halves for secure and privacy-protective surfing. The distribution is also suitable for people who often use other peoples' computers and don't want to leave any traces. The Debian derivative covers many uses and has a sensible configuration, meaning that all common online services can be used immediately without your having to go through the hassle of manually customizing everything.

Tails also provides some tools for safeguarding locally stored data. Tails should therefore be the first choice for security-conscious users who don't want to harden all the applications themselves.