Silk Road forums

Discussion => Newbie discussion => Topic started by: GrimWaldo on June 23, 2013, 02:49 am

Title: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: GrimWaldo on June 23, 2013, 02:49 am
You should choose TAILS for your Tor browsing, as it's the easiest and safest way to get all this stuff working. Here's how:

Hit DuckDuckGo and search ClearNet for TAILS on the Tor Project Website and download the ISO.
Burn it to a DVD-ROM and boot from it.
Click the "Login" button and insert a USB Drive (minimum 2GB).
Select "Applications/Tails/Tails USB Installer"
Select "Clone & Install". Once complete, remove the DVD-ROM and ReBoot from the USB Drive.
Click "Login" and select "Applications/Tails/Configure Persistence Volume"
Choose your password (make it a good one). When complete, select to save all of the settings and ReBoot.
*Note* I also add "/home/amnesia/Desktop" to the save list, otherwise no new icons on the Desktop.
This time, select "Use Persistence Volume" and enter your password, then select "Login".
Select "System/Preferences/Passwords and Encryption Keys".
Select "File/New" and choose "PGP Key", then click "Continue"
Enter a Name and e-mail address. Under "Advanced Key Options" set Encryption Type to "RSA" & Key Strength to "4096". Click "Create".
Your new key appears under "My Personal Keys". Right-click, choose "Export" and save the .ASC file in the "Persistence" folder. This is a text file containing your Public Key.
To import other's Public Keys so you can encrypt text message to them, select "File/Import" and browse to a text file containing their Public Key Block. It will appear under "Other Keys".
To encrypt a text message, select "Applications/Accessories/gedit Text Editor" and compose your message. Then select "Edit/Encrypt", choose your recipient and click "OK" ("sign message as: UserName", if you've posted your Public PGP Key).
To decrypt a message, Copy&Paste it to gedit then select "Edit/Decrypt" and enter your password.
If you need to enable WiFi, select it from the Network Icon on the right-side of the top Task Bar.

To practice your PGP skillz, send a plain-text e-mail containing your Public Key Block (the .ASC file you saved earlier) to adele-en@gnupp.de. She will respond with an encrypted message containing her Public Key. Decrypt it in gedit, save it, and import it into "System/Preferences/Passwords and Encryption Keys" and send her another e-mail encrypted with her Public Key. She'll exchange messages with you until you're comfortable that you're doing it right.

Now you're all set!

To include a BitCoin Wallet, follow these instruction to install Electrum Wallet on TAILS:
http://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/index.php?topic=94939.0
...works like a charm!

To use your neighbor's Wifi, follow this guide using BackTrack 5rc3:
http://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/index.php?topic=140099.60
...takes a long time, but it's worth it!

Be smart people, use TAILS for your Tor browsing. Everything stays in an encrypted Persistence Volume instead of on your HardDrive. Pop it out, put in in your pocket, and anonymous connectivity from any computer is always with you... instead of somewhere else.
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: GrimWaldo on June 23, 2013, 04:07 am
...and here's a couple of other newbie guides:
dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/index.php?topic=15383.0
dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/index.php?topic=144897.0

Useful stuff.
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: enlightener on June 24, 2013, 08:55 pm
thx you for the guides some good reads in there

love n light
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: VendorDan on June 24, 2013, 08:58 pm
Tails is good if you dont need persistent entry guards.
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: livestr0ng on June 29, 2013, 07:41 am
Would you mind explaining to me what "persistent volume" is?
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: domesticdoode on June 29, 2013, 08:49 am
tails is the best shits on tor
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: GrimWaldo on August 04, 2013, 01:06 am
Would you mind explaining to me what "persistent volume" is?
Wow, sorry for the belatted reply...

A Persistence Volume is an additional partition on the USB TAILS drive used to store system settings, additional software, other files, etc. It is fully encrypted and can be activated via PassWord just before TAILS loads the Desktop. It not only allows you to keep Bookmarks, Desktop Icons, PGP Keys, Electrum Wallet, and the like, but without your password, no one can access it.

Word.
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: donkeykong1234 on August 04, 2013, 01:19 am
Awesome, this is exactly what I needed.
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: Praetorian on August 04, 2013, 01:21 am
Awesome, this is exactly what I needed.

There's been a URL to the thread talking about Tails for some time on the main site, just for everyones info.

:/
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: BobHoskinz on August 04, 2013, 01:26 am
Looking forward to the next update, they're getting rid of that annoying 'unencrypted page' warning message. Hopefully they'll add a way to save tor bridges to the persistent volume  :P
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: GrimWaldo on August 04, 2013, 01:29 am
Tails is good if you dont need persistent entry guards.
Very true. However, this is the type of security threat that only seems viable if you have previous reason to believe your connection is being watched. Small, personal use of Silk Road is normally not of much consequence to such high profile organizations.

Still, it is a real security threat and should be considered.
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: unions on August 04, 2013, 01:49 am
Looking forward to the next update, they're getting rid of that annoying 'unencrypted page' warning message. Hopefully they'll add a way to save tor bridges to the persistent volume  :P
Dear sweet zombie jeebus thank god. Thing annoys the fuck out of me. I highly recommend tails; I keep 3 flash drives and 1 sd card with it. One hidden usually on my person, one buried somewhere safe, and one ... well nevermind. But you know those little flash drives that BARELY stick out of the usb slot (the kind for mp3 librarys for car stereos)? They're really small and easy to hide.
And don't get me started about the windows XP camoflauge. Fucking genius. Not to mention nostalgic. Its adorable!
I highly recomend bridge mode guys
Remember, when you use TOR, your ISP can't see what your looking at, but they sure as hell can see that your using TOR and that is a lil shady.
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: Micromanage on August 04, 2013, 04:03 am
nice!!! thanks for this.
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: phantomoto on August 04, 2013, 12:09 pm
Thanks!!!
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: livestr0ng on August 05, 2013, 05:09 pm
Thanks, GrimWaldo. I got TAILS up and running and it feels great. Two things though-
1. Normally, when I'm using TAILS for about half an hour, it suddenly loses connection and I can't reconnect, even to my wifi. Sometimes when I'm trying to change my settings around and shit I get a message saying "System policy prevents modification of system settings [...]" Then it asks for the "Password for root". What the fuck is this "root" business?
2. Is there a way to get the desktop background option for TAILS (when not in XP camo) that's in a space setting with the cute little rocket ship as my normal desktop background? I can't find it on the internet.
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: GrimWaldo on August 17, 2013, 06:49 am
I'm glad if the post helped at all. I dig TAILS and would never browse the DeepNet without it.

1) I'm not sure about your loss-of-connection issue, I've never experienced it. Perhaps it has something to do with your ISP (or your 'borrowed' WiFi connection) blocking Tor?
I believe the root password issue may be solved by assigning an Administrator Password when TAILS starts up. In the InputBox that allows you to access your Persistence Volume, select 'Other Options' and assign an Administrator Password. The password is only good for that session and allows you to do things like install software, run administrative processes, and access your HardDrives through TAILS.

2) Try 'System/Preferences/Appearance/ and goto the Background tab. Dunno if it'll keep through persistence, but if you've included '/home/amnesia/Desktop' it should. Let us know if it works for you.
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: livestr0ng on August 17, 2013, 07:03 am
Haha, a little late. I got everything figured out though which is the important part. I entered my MAC address for my wi-fi and chose auto connect. Now I still get disconnected after about 30 minutes but I just click autoetho and it's all good from then on. As far as the desktop pic, I got it on my normal desktop but about a sixth of the screen is blank whiteness with none of the pic cut off. Since its a weird ass file, I can't edit it. I couldn't even save it on my phone (to edit then e-mail back to myself)! Oh well.
Title: Re: Everything you need. Secure, Quick, Easy and Portable... with TAILS.
Post by: 1682_anon on August 17, 2013, 10:45 am
Good guide, using Tails now.