Let’s consider the weaknesses 2
and things that Whonix simply isn’t designed to do. 3
So first thing, it’s obvious to an observer that you are using TOR 4
when you are using Whonix. 5
It may also be obvious to an observer that you’re using Whonix itself 6
based on fingerprint information that it may give away. 7
Whonix won’t encrypt your document by default, 8
it’s just simply not supposed to do that. 9
It doesn’t clear the metadata out of your documents. 10
It doesn’t encrypt the subject or the headers of your emails, 11
encrypted emails, because that’s not what it’s designed to do. 12
Whonix doesn’t separate your different contextual identities. 13
It is not advisable, as I previously said, 14
to use the same Whonix workstation to perform two tasks 15
or endorse two contextual identities 16
that you really want to keep separate from each other. 17
It probably won’t protect you against firmware rootkits or bios attacks. 18
It won’t protect you from hardware compromises 19
like the SURLYSPAWN hardware key logo in the NSA ANT Catalog 20
and the RAGEMASTER, the VGA cable retro reflector. 21
It won’t protect you against hardware compromises like that. 22
As is the same with any operating system and application, 23
there could be security vulnerabilities 24
and even a backdoor through either deliberate, 25
coerced or accidental methods. 26
But this is unlikely because Whonix 27
essentially is really just a bunch of scripts, 28
and as far as I’m aware, there’s no actual compiled code. 29
Whonix is more difficult to set up 30
compared to say for example the TOR browser on its own, 31
or Tails if you’re just using it as a live CD. 32
It requires that you have virtual machines, 33
so therefore you need a hypervisor or you have spare hardware to run it on. 34
It also requires higher maintenance than live CDs, 35
as live CDs are just static. 36
One of the most significant potential weaknesses in Whonix, 37
if you need that feature, is that it is not an Amnesic system. 38
So let me read from the website. 39
"Unlike Tails, Whonix is not an Amnesic Live CD. 40
If you install Whonix on your computer 41
this will leave local traces on the harddrive, 42
that you installed Whonix on that device. 43
Any files you create will still exist after powering off 44
or rebooting unless you securely wiped all signs of their previous existence. 45
There are no special measures to limit what is written to disk. 46
This includes user created files, backup files, temporary files, 47
swap, chat history, browser history and so on. 48
Whonix acts like an ordinary installed operating system." 49
It also does not prevent the host memory swaps to the host disk, 50
as we discussed in the section on VM weaknesses and data leaks. 51
If you want an Amnesic system or a system that forgets, 52
much like Tails, there are a couple of potential workarounds. 53
You could use Snapshots 54
and then restore back to a clean VM after you’ve finished your activities, 55
and another option is encrypting the host operating system 56
with full-disk encryption. 57
These will help mitigate local forensic examination, 58
but they are not as good 59
as not having the information there in the first place. 60
But Whonix isn’t designed to protect against local forensic examination. 61
That is not the threat model that it is trying to mitigate. 62
If this is your main concern, then Whonix is not the best option. 63
The threats that Whonix is best suited to mitigate 64
are protocol-level leaks and ISP snooping. 65
Whonix is not a one-click security, privacy and anonymity solution. 66
I recommend Whonix for the more technical person 67
or for anyone who’s willing to spend some time 68
really understanding how it works. 69
Then customize it to your personal needs. 70
The documentation is excellent and goes into lots of detail about security, 71
privacy and anonymity generally. 72
So, a thank you to the Whonix team for a great solution. 73
Check it out if you haven’t checked it out already.