Buying a preloaded tails thumb drive?

Saw em on one of the markets; i'm working on upping my tech knowledge, but for now, downloading / installing / setting up tails is just too much of a headache for me. I wasn't entirely sure i needed it, but if for around 20 or 30$ i can get it ready to go, any reason not to?

Or: Is it really easy and i'm just being lazy cause i dont want to learn? (I'd be starting from scratch, no linux or tails knowledge prior to hitting these forums.)


Comments


[15 Points] noonehear:

Learn to do it yourself. Who know's what else is on those thumbdrives (keyloggers etc) that could compromise OPSEC?


[4 Points] None:

Just download the Tails .ISO. Download USB drive installer. Don't buy anonymity software from internet criminals aiming for buyers with poor technical skills.

Also you don't even need a USB unless you especially want one or want to use persistence. You can use a live CD and an encrypted flash drive for persistence.

Even better is learning Whonix with Virtualbox.


[5 Points] deeplax1:

I was a total noob when I made my first TAILS bootable USB drive too. I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it is. Assuming you have an Internet connection:

  1. Obtain USB thumb drive OR CD with sufficient storage capacity (I think is 3GB, I would recommend a 5GB drive in case of future updates.) However, I would strongly recommend using a second storage device for vendor PGP keys and other documents you want to keep safe. This is because it will be easy to re-install TAILS on your original USB when it needs to be updated, as you will be able to simply wipe the USB clean and start fresh, without having to worry about transferring precious files out, then back over. Oh yeah, and I definitely recommend a USB over a CD, unless you predict yourself to be in a situation where you'll need to quickly destroy some evidence, i.e. break a CD in half quickly. SD card is also an option if you need to stealthily transport the TAILS OS somewhere.

  2. Connect to the Tor webpage for TAILS at https://tails.boum.org/download/index.en.html and read their comprehensive guide to the installation process for a USB. Read the entire guide, then attempt it step by step. They will prompt you to download the TAILS ISO image and then to download a program that will burn that ISO image onto your USB for you. Fairly quick download, simple to set up. Their guide really babies you through the process. As a beginner if you prefer not to verify your ISO image as the guide instructs, you may skip this step, but once you get logged onto TAILS and start getting more educated on the whole process, you'll most likely want to go back and do this.

  3. Test your USB drive. Plug it in to the computer you want to use, choose to boot from USB, and start TAILS. The Tor website also has a collection of guides to aid in learning the TAILS visual interface and preinstalled programs. The basics are much like a very dumbed down version of Windows, so it's fairly easy to catch on.

  4. Stay UPDATED. This is very important because the team at Torproject is often implementing security improvements and doing bug fixes to TAILS. I'd recommend doing what was stated in step 1, wiping your USB and reinstalling TAILS using Torproject's guide for a fresh start.

TL;DR Follow guide the on the Tor website and do your fucking research.


[4 Points] Lameosauras:

Honestly I think everyone should learn how to do it themselves, and I dont believe it is that hard either. What it does do is give you a respect for the scope of OPSEC needed, instead on just blindly relying on this little usb you bought offline


[1 Points] None:

I feel like that's a waste of money. It's sooo easy to do it yourself. There's video tutorials, guides, etc all over the internet. It's nkt hard at all. Why not do it yourself?


[0 Points] evo_life22:

I tried to do it myself several times, but would always run into errors, so I just bought one.