Tails 5.7: Metadata cleaner and Tor update for more anonymity

The latest version 5.7 of the live distribution Tails, which is based on Debian GNU/Linux and is particularly designed for data protection, the so-called “Amnesic Incognito Live System”, has been released and brings a major goal Update and a metadata cleaner for even more privacy and security on the PC.

Support for setting up the Tor browser

Aimed at protecting the privacy of users, Tails supports the user with the help of the “Tor Connection Assistant” in setting up and configuring the Tor network for even more secure communication with browsing, instant messaging, IRC, SSH, e-mail as well as P2P. The Mozilla Firefox-based Tor browser has been upgraded to version 11.5.8, while the basic Tor software stack is now at version 0.4.7.11.

Tails 5.7 with Gnome 3.38

Tails 5.7 includes a wide range of programs that have been preconfigured with regard to security, data protection and privacy: a web browser, an instant messaging client and an e-mail program, all of whose data traffic is routed exclusively via the Tor network. The P2P client “OnionShare” is in version 2.5 while Mozilla Thunderbird has been updated to the latest version 102.5.

Metadata can now be completely removed

For the first time, the so-called “Metadata Cleaner” is on board, which celebrates its debut in Tails 5.7 in version 1.0.2 and completely frees files such as documents, images and videos from automatically generated metadata can.

Tails 5.7 can strip files completely of metadata

Further details can be found in the official release notes.

Traffic runs exclusively via Tor

All software running on Tails is configured to connect to the internet through the Tor client. Applications that try to connect directly to the Internet are automatically blocked by the operating system and prevented from accessing the Internet for security reasons.

Tails also supports the use of alternative and publicly unlisted entry points into the Tor network, the so-called Tor bridges, which make it more difficult – if not impossible – for Internet providers, for example, to determine that the user is using the Tor network to connect to the Internet.

The operating system in the main memory

Tails is designed not to use the hard drive of the computer on which it is running – even if a correspondingly large swap file (swap ) is available. Tails runs exclusively in RAM, which is automatically cleared when shutting down, and on the USB storage medium. This is to avoid leaving traces of the live system on the computer running Tails.

The 1.3 GB live image of Tails 5.7 (IMG) optimized for AMD64 can be downloaded directly from the manufacturer and written to a USB storage medium using a suitable tool such as Ventoy, Rufus or Easy2Boot be.

The extensive German-language documentation and the official website of the project make it much easier to get started with Tails.