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@ -56,28 +56,29 @@ the other. Alice's setup looks like this:
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![[Alice's system: digram 1](/attachment/doc/howto_use_qubes_alice_1.png)](/attachment/doc/howto_use_qubes_alice_1.png)
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- Several qubes for writing code. Here's where she runs her IDE, commits code,
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and signs her commits. These qubes are based on different templates depending
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on which tools and which development environment she needs. In general, Alice
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likes to have a separate qube of this type for each client or each project.
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This allows her to keep everything organized and avoid accidentally mixing up
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any access credentials or client code, which could be disastrous. This also
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allows her to truthfully tell her clients that their code is always securely
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isolated from all her other clients. She likes to use the [Qubes
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firewall](/doc/firewall/) to restrict these qubes' network access to only the
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code repositories she needs in that qube in order to avoid accidentally
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interacting with anything else on her local network or on the internet. Alice
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also has some qubes of this type for personal programming projects that she
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works on just for fun when she has "free time" (whatever that is).
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- **Several qubes for writing code.** Here's where she runs her IDE, commits
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code, and signs her commits. These qubes are based on different templates
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depending on which tools and which development environment she needs. In
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general, Alice likes to have a separate qube of this type for each client or
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each project. This allows her to keep everything organized and avoid
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accidentally mixing up any access credentials or client code, which could be
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disastrous. This also allows her to truthfully tell her clients that their
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code is always securely isolated from all her other clients. She likes to use
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the [Qubes firewall](/doc/firewall/) to restrict these qubes' network access
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to only the code repositories she needs in that qube in order to avoid
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accidentally interacting with anything else on her local network or on the
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internet. Alice also has some qubes of this type for personal programming
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projects that she works on just for fun when she has "free time" (whatever
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that is).
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- Several qubes for building and testing. Again, Alice usually likes to have
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one of these for each client or project in order to keep things organized.
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However, this can become rather cumbersome and memory-intensive when many
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such qubes are running at the same time, so Alice will sometimes use the same
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qube for building and testing, or for multiple projects that require the same
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environment, when she decides that the marginal benefits of extra
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compartmentalization aren't worth the trouble. Here's where she pulls any
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dependencies she needs, compiles her code, runs her build toolchain, and
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- **Several qubes for building and testing.** Again, Alice usually likes to
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have one of these for each client or project in order to keep things
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organized. However, this can become rather cumbersome and memory-intensive
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when many such qubes are running at the same time, so Alice will sometimes
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use the same qube for building and testing, or for multiple projects that
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require the same environment, when she decides that the marginal benefits of
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extra compartmentalization aren't worth the trouble. Here's where she pulls
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any dependencies she needs, compiles her code, runs her build toolchain, and
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tests her deliverables. In some cases, she finds it useful to use
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[standalones](/doc/standalones-and-hvms/) for these so that it's easier to
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quickly [install different pieces of software](/doc/how-to-install-software/)
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@ -95,9 +96,9 @@ the other. Alice's setup looks like this:
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![[Alice's system: diagram 2](/attachment/doc/howto_use_qubes_alice_2.png)](/attachment/doc/howto_use_qubes_alice_2.png)
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- Several email qubes. Since Alice is a command-line aficionado, she likes to
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use a terminal-based email client, so both her work and personal email qubes
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are based on a template with
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- **Several email qubes.** Since Alice is a command-line aficionado, she likes
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to use a terminal-based email client, so both her work and personal email
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qubes are based on a template with
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[Mutt](https://github.com/Qubes-Community/Contents/blob/master/docs/configuration/mutt.md)
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installed. The email qubes where she sends and receives PGP-signed and
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encrypted email securely accesses the private keys in her PGP backend qube
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@ -105,41 +106,43 @@ the other. Alice's setup looks like this:
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Mutt to open all attachment files in [disposable
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qubes](/doc/how-to-use-disposables/).
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- Several qubes for communication tools, like Signal, Slack, Zoom, Telegram,
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IRC, and Discord. This is where she teleconferences and chats with clients.
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She uses [USB passthrough](/doc/how-to-use-usb-devices/) to attach her webcam
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to each qube as needed and detaches it afterward. Likewise, she gives each
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qube access to her microphone while it's needed, then removes access
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afterward. This way, she doesn't have to trust any given video chat program's
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mute button and doesn't have to worry about being spied on when she's not on
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a call. She also has a qube for social media platforms like Twitter, Reddit,
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and Hacker News for networking and keeping up with new developments (or so
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she claims; in reality, it's mostly for feuds over programming language
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superiority, Vim vs. Emacs wars, and tabs vs. spaces crusades).
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- **Several qubes for communication tools,** like Signal, Slack, Zoom,
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Telegram, IRC, and Discord. This is where she teleconferences and chats with
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clients. She uses [USB passthrough](/doc/how-to-use-usb-devices/) to attach
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her webcam to each qube as needed and detaches it afterward. Likewise, she
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gives each qube access to her microphone while it's needed, then removes
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access afterward. This way, she doesn't have to trust any given video chat
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program's mute button and doesn't have to worry about being spied on when
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she's not on a call. She also has a qube for social media platforms like
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Twitter, Reddit, and Hacker News for networking and keeping up with new
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developments (or so she claims; in reality, it's mostly for feuds over
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programming language superiority, Vim vs. Emacs wars, and tabs vs. spaces
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crusades).
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- A GPG backend vault. Vaults are completely offline qubes that are isolated
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from the network. This particular vault holds Alice's private keys (e.g., for
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code signing and email) and is securely accessed by several other "frontend"
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qubes via the [Split GPG](/doc/split-gpg/) system. Split GPG allows only the
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frontend qubes that Alice explicitly authorizes to have the ability to
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request PGP operations (e.g., signing and encryption) in the backend vault.
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Even then, no qube ever has direct access to Alice's private keys except the
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backend vault itself.
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- **A GPG backend vault.** Vaults are completely offline qubes that are
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isolated from the network. This particular vault holds Alice's private keys
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(e.g., for code signing and email) and is securely accessed by several other
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"frontend" qubes via the [Split GPG](/doc/split-gpg/) system. Split GPG
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allows only the frontend qubes that Alice explicitly authorizes to have the
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ability to request PGP operations (e.g., signing and encryption) in the
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backend vault. Even then, no qube ever has direct access to Alice's private
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keys except the backend vault itself.
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- A password manager vault. This is another completely offline,
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- **A password manager vault.** This is another completely offline,
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network-isolated qube where Alice uses her offline password manager,
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KeePassXC, to store all of her usernames and passwords. She uses the [secure
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copy and paste](/doc/how-to-copy-and-paste-text/) system to quickly copy
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credentials into other qubes whenever she needs to log into anything.
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- Personal qubes. One of the things Alice loves the most about Qubes is that
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she can use it for both work *and* personal stuff without having to worry
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about cross-contamination. Accordingly, she has several qubes that pertain to
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her personal life. For example, she has an offline vault that holds her
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medical documents, test results, and vaccination records. She has another
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offline vault for her government documents, birth certificate, scans of her
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passport, and so on. She also has some personal social media accounts in a
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separate qube for keeping up with family members and friends from school.
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- **Personal qubes.** One of the things Alice loves the most about Qubes is
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that she can use it for both work *and* personal stuff without having to
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worry about cross-contamination. Accordingly, she has several qubes that
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pertain to her personal life. For example, she has an offline vault that
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holds her medical documents, test results, and vaccination records. She has
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another offline vault for her government documents, birth certificate, scans
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of her passport, and so on. She also has some personal social media accounts
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in a separate qube for keeping up with family members and friends from
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school.
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When she finishes her work for a given client, Alice sends off her
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deliverables, [backs up](/doc/how-to-back-up-restore-and-migrate/) the qubes
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@ -171,18 +174,18 @@ for work, which contains:
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![[A diagram of Bob's system](/attachment/doc/howto_use_qubes_bob.png)](/attachment/doc/howto_use_qubes_bob.png)
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- One offline qube for writing. It runs only LibreOffice Writer. This is where
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Bob does all of his writing. This window is usually open side-by-side with
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another window containing research or material from a source.
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- **One offline qube for writing.** It runs only LibreOffice Writer. This is
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where Bob does all of his writing. This window is usually open side-by-side
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with another window containing research or material from a source.
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- Multiple email qubes. One is for receiving emails from the general public.
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Another is for emailing his editor and colleagues. Both are based on a
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[minimal template](/doc/templates/minimal/) with Thunderbird installed. He's
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configured both to open all attachments in
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- **Multiple email qubes.** One is for receiving emails from the general
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public. Another is for emailing his editor and colleagues. Both are based on
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a [minimal template](/doc/templates/minimal/) with Thunderbird installed.
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He's configured both to open all attachments in
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[disposables](/doc/how-to-use-disposables/) that are offline in case an
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attachment contains a beacon that tries to phone home.
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- Whonix qubes. He has the standard `sys-whonix` service qube for providing
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- **Whonix qubes.** He has the standard `sys-whonix` service qube for providing
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Torified network access, and he uses disposable `anon-workstation` app qubes
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for using Tor Browser to do research on stories he's writing. Since the topic
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is often of a sensitive nature and might implicate powerful individuals, it's
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@ -195,8 +198,8 @@ for work, which contains:
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with have said that they can't take a chance with any other form of
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communication.
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- Two qubes for
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[Signal](https://github.com/Qubes-Community/Contents/blob/master/docs/privacy/signal.md).
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- **Two qubes for
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[Signal](https://github.com/Qubes-Community/Contents/blob/master/docs/privacy/signal.md).**
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Bob has two Signal app qubes (both on the same template in which the Signal
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desktop app is installed). One is linked to his own mobile number for
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communicating with co-workers and other known, trusted contacts. The other is
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@ -204,7 +207,7 @@ for work, which contains:
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confidentially. This is especially useful for individuals who don't use Tor
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but for whom unencrypted communication could be dangerous.
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- Several data vaults. When someone sends Bob material that turns out to be
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- **Several data vaults.** When someone sends Bob material that turns out to be
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useful, or when he comes across useful material while doing his own research,
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he stores a copy in a completely offline, network-isolated vault qube. Most
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of these files are PDFs and images, though some are audio files, videos, and
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@ -213,14 +216,14 @@ for work, which contains:
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different vaults (usually one for each story or topic) just in case. This has
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the side benefit of helping to keep things organized.
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- A [VPN
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- **A [VPN
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qube](https://github.com/Qubes-Community/Contents/blob/master/docs/configuration/vpn.md)
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and associated qubes for accessing work resources. The servers at work can
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and associated qubes for accessing work resources.** The servers at work can
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only be accessed from the organization's network, so Bob has certain qubes
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that are connected to a VPN qube so that he can upload his work and access
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anything he needs on the local network when he's not physically there.
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- A password manager vault. Bob stores all of his login credentials in the
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- **A password manager vault.** Bob stores all of his login credentials in the
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default password manager that came with his offline vault qube. He [securely
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copies and pastes](/doc/how-to-copy-and-paste-text/) them into other qubes as
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needed.
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@ -254,22 +257,26 @@ cybercrime policies, rarely, if ever, do they explicitly guarantee
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reimbursement in the event that a *customer* gets hacked (rather than the
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institution itself).
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Carol looked into how thieves might actually try to steal her hard-earned
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wealth and was surprised to learn that they have all sorts of ploys that she
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had never even considered. For example, she had assumed that any theft would,
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at the bare minimum, have to involve transferring money out of her account.
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That seems like a safe assumption. But then she read about "pump and dump"
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attacks, where thieves buy up some penny stock, hack into innocent people's
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brokerage accounts, then use the victims' funds to buy that same penny stock,
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"pumping" up its price so that the thieves can "dump" their shares on the
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market, leaving the victims with worthless shares. No money is ever transferred
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into or out of the victims' account; it's just used to buy and sell securities.
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So, all the safeguards preventing new bank accounts from being added or
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requiring extra approval for outbound transfers do nothing to protect victims'
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funds in cases like these. And this is just one example! Carol realized that
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she couldn't assume that existing safeguards against specific, known attacks
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were enough. She had to think about security at a more fundamental level and
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design it into her digital life from the ground up.
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<div class="alert alert-caution" role="alert">
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<i class="fa fa-exclamation-triangle"></i>
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Carol looked into how thieves might actually try to steal her hard-earned
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wealth and was surprised to learn that they have all sorts of ploys that she
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had never even considered. For example, she had assumed that any theft would,
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at the bare minimum, have to involve transferring money out of her account.
|
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That seems like a safe assumption. But then she read about "pump and dump"
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attacks, where thieves buy up some penny stock, hack into innocent people's
|
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brokerage accounts, then use the victims' funds to buy that same penny stock,
|
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"pumping" up its price so that the thieves can "dump" their shares on the
|
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market, leaving the victims with worthless shares. No money is ever
|
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transferred into or out of the victims' account; it's just used to buy and
|
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sell securities. So, all the safeguards preventing new bank accounts from
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being added or requiring extra approval for outbound transfers do nothing to
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protect victims' funds in cases like these. And this is just one example!
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Carol realized that she couldn't assume that existing safeguards against
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specific, known attacks were enough. She had to think about security at a
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more fundamental level and design it into her digital life from the ground
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up.
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</div>
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After learning about all this, Carol decided that it was ultimately up to her
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to take care of her own cybersecurity. She couldn't rely on anyone else to do
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@ -289,7 +296,7 @@ her setup looks like this:
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![[A diagram of Carol's system](/attachment/doc/howto_use_qubes_carol.png)](/attachment/doc/howto_use_qubes_carol.png)
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- One qube for each investment firm and bank. Carol has a few different
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- **One qube for each investment firm and bank.** Carol has a few different
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retirement accounts, brokerage accounts, and bank accounts. She treats each
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qube like a "secure terminal" for accessing only that one institution's
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website. She makes her transactions and saves any statements and
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@ -300,40 +307,41 @@ her setup looks like this:
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based on a [minimal template](/doc/templates/minimal/) with just a web
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browser (which doubles as a PDF viewer) and a file manager installed.
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- One qube for all her credit card accounts. Carol started to make a separate
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qube for each credit card account but ultimately decided against it. For one
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thing, the consumer protections for credit card fraud in her country are much
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better than for losing assets to theft or fraud in a bank or brokerage
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account, so the security risk isn't as high. Second, there's actually not a
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whole lot that an attacker could do with access to her credit cards' online
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accounts or her old credit card statements, since online access to these
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generally doesn't allow spending or withdrawing any money. So, even the worst
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case scenario here wouldn't be catastrophic, unlike with her bank and
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brokerage accounts. Third, she's not too worried about any of her credit card
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company websites being used to attach each other or her qube (As long as it's
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contained to a single qube, she's fine with that level of risk.) Last, but
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not least: She has way too many credit cards! While Carol is very frugal, she
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likes to collect the sign-up bonuses that are offered for opening new cards,
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so she's accumulated quite a few of them. (However, she's always careful to
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pay off her balance each month, so she never pays interest. She's also pretty
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disciplined about only spending what she would have spent *anyway* and not
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being tempted to spend more just to meet a spending requirement or because
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she can.) At any rate, Carol has decided that the tiny benefit she stands to
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gain from having a separate qube for every credit card website wouldn't be
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worth the hassle of having to manage so many extra qubes.
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- **One qube for all her credit card accounts.** Carol started to make a
|
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separate qube for each credit card account but ultimately decided against it.
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For one thing, the consumer protections for credit card fraud in her country
|
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are much better than for losing assets to theft or fraud in a bank or
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brokerage account, so the security risk isn't as high. Second, there's
|
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actually not a whole lot that an attacker could do with access to her credit
|
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cards' online accounts or her old credit card statements, since online access
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to these generally doesn't allow spending or withdrawing any money. So, even
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the worst case scenario here wouldn't be catastrophic, unlike with her bank
|
||||
and brokerage accounts. Third, she's not too worried about any of her credit
|
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card company websites being used to attach each other or her qube (As long as
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it's contained to a single qube, she's fine with that level of risk.) Last,
|
||||
but not least: She has way too many credit cards! While Carol is very frugal,
|
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she likes to collect the sign-up bonuses that are offered for opening new
|
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cards, so she's accumulated quite a few of them. (However, she's always
|
||||
careful to pay off her balance each month, so she never pays interest. She's
|
||||
also pretty disciplined about only spending what she would have spent
|
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*anyway* and not being tempted to spend more just to meet a spending
|
||||
requirement or because she can.) At any rate, Carol has decided that the tiny
|
||||
benefit she stands to gain from having a separate qube for every credit card
|
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website wouldn't be worth the hassle of having to manage so many extra qubes.
|
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- One qube for credit monitoring, credit reports, and credit history services.
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Carol has worked hard to build up a good credit score, and she's concerned
|
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about identity theft, so she has one qube dedicated to managing her free
|
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credit monitoring services and downloading her free annual credit reports.
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- **A qube for credit monitoring, credit reports, and credit history
|
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services.** Carol has worked hard to build up a good credit score, and she's
|
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concerned about identity theft, so she has one qube dedicated to managing her
|
||||
free credit monitoring services and downloading her free annual credit
|
||||
reports.
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||||
- Two qubes for taxes. Carol has a [Windows
|
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- **Two qubes for taxes.** Carol has a [Windows
|
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qube](https://github.com/Qubes-Community/Contents/blob/master/docs/os/windows/windows.md)
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for running her Windows-only tax software. She also has an offline vault
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where she stores all of her tax-related forms and documents, organized by
|
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year.
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- One qube for financial planning and tracking. Carol loves spreadsheets, so
|
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- **A qube for financial planning and tracking.** Carol loves spreadsheets, so
|
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this offline qube is where she maintains a master spreadsheet to track all of
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her investments and her savings rate. She also keeps her budgeting
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spreadsheet, insurance spreadsheet, and written investment policy statement
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@ -341,16 +349,19 @@ her setup looks like this:
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software, like LibreOffice and Gnumeric (so that Carol can run her own Monte
|
||||
Carlo simulations).
|
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- Various email qubes. Carol likes to have one email qube for her most
|
||||
- **Various email qubes.** Carol likes to have one email qube for her most
|
||||
important financial accounts; a separate one for her credit cards accounts,
|
||||
online shopping accounts, and insurance companies; and another one for
|
||||
personal email. They're all based on the same template with Thunderbird
|
||||
installed.
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||||
|
||||
- A password manager vault. A network-isolated qube where Carol stores all of
|
||||
her account usernames and passwords in KeePassXC. She uses the [Qubes global
|
||||
clipboard](/doc/how-to-copy-and-paste-text/) to copy and paste them into her
|
||||
other qubes when she needs to log into her accounts.
|
||||
- **A password manager vault.** A network-isolated qube where Carol stores all
|
||||
of her account usernames and passwords in KeePassXC. She uses the [Qubes
|
||||
global clipboard](/doc/how-to-copy-and-paste-text/) to copy and paste them
|
||||
into her other qubes when she needs to log into her accounts.
|
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## Bonus: Carol explores new financial technology
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The vast majority of Carol's assets are in broad-based, low-cost,
|
||||
passively-managed indexed funds. Lately, however, she's started getting
|
||||
@ -365,9 +376,9 @@ she has the self-discipline to invest only what she can afford to lose, so
|
||||
she's decided to dip her toe in the water by allocating a small portion of her
|
||||
portfolio. This has led her to add the following to her Qubes setup:
|
||||
|
||||
- A standalone qube for running Bitcoin Core and an offline wallet vault. Carol
|
||||
finds the design and security properties of Bitcoin very interesting, so
|
||||
she's experimenting with running a full node. She also created a
|
||||
- **A standalone qube for running Bitcoin Core and an offline wallet vault.**
|
||||
Carol finds the design and security properties of Bitcoin very interesting,
|
||||
so she's experimenting with running a full node. She also created a
|
||||
network-isolated vault in order to try running a copy of Bitcoin Core
|
||||
completely offline as a "cold storage" wallet. She's still trying to figure
|
||||
out how this compares to an actual hardware wallet, paper wallet, or
|
||||
@ -377,12 +388,12 @@ portfolio. This has led her to add the following to her Qubes setup:
|
||||
Qubes](https://github.com/Qubes-Community/Contents/blob/master/docs/security/split-bitcoin.md)
|
||||
and is interested in exploring that further.
|
||||
|
||||
- Whonix qubes. Carol read somewhere that Bitcoin nodes should be run over Tor
|
||||
for privacy and security. She found it very convenient that Whonix is already
|
||||
integrated into Qubes, so she simply set her Bitcoin Core "full node" qube to
|
||||
use `sys-whonix` as its networking qube.
|
||||
- **Whonix qubes.** Carol read somewhere that Bitcoin nodes should be run over
|
||||
Tor for privacy and security. She found it very convenient that Whonix is
|
||||
already integrated into Qubes, so she simply set her Bitcoin Core "full node"
|
||||
qube to use `sys-whonix` as its networking qube.
|
||||
|
||||
- Various qubes for DeFi and web3. Carol has also started getting into DeFi
|
||||
- **Various qubes for DeFi and web3.** Carol has also started getting into DeFi
|
||||
(decentralized finance) and web3 on Ethereum and other smart contract
|
||||
blockchains, so a friend recommended that she get a Ledger hardware wallet.
|
||||
She downloaded the Ledger Live software in an app qube and [set up her system
|
||||
@ -396,8 +407,8 @@ portfolio. This has led her to add the following to her Qubes setup:
|
||||
this qube so she can use Metamask in conjunction with her Ledger to interact
|
||||
with smart contracts and decentralized exchanges.
|
||||
|
||||
- Various qubes for research and centralized exchanges. Carol uses these when
|
||||
she wants to check block explorer websites, coin listing and market cap
|
||||
- **Various qubes for research and centralized exchanges.** Carol uses these
|
||||
when she wants to check block explorer websites, coin listing and market cap
|
||||
sites, aggregation tools, or just to see what the latest buzz is on Crypto
|
||||
Twitter.
|
||||
|
||||
@ -421,16 +432,21 @@ everyone will want to use the same email client. On the other hand, almost
|
||||
everyone will need a password manager, and it pretty much always makes sense to
|
||||
keep it in an offline, network-isolated vault.
|
||||
|
||||
As you gain experience with Qubes, you may find yourself disagreeing with some
|
||||
of the decisions our fictional friends made. That's okay! There are many
|
||||
different ways to organize a Qubes system, and the most important criterion is
|
||||
that it serves the needs of its owner. Since everyone's needs are different,
|
||||
it's perfectly normal to find yourself doing things a bit differently.
|
||||
Nonetheless, there are some general principles that almost all users find
|
||||
helpful when they're first starting out. As you're designing your own Qubes
|
||||
system, keep in mind some of the following lessons from our case studies:
|
||||
<div class="alert alert-info" role="alert">
|
||||
<i class="fa fa-circle-info"></i>
|
||||
As you gain experience with Qubes, you may find yourself disagreeing with
|
||||
some of the decisions our fictional friends made. That's okay! There are many
|
||||
different ways to organize a Qubes system, and the most important criterion
|
||||
is that it serves the needs of its owner. Since everyone's needs are
|
||||
different, it's perfectly normal to find yourself doing things a bit
|
||||
differently. Nonetheless, there are some general principles that almost all
|
||||
users find helpful, especially when they're first starting out.
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
|
||||
- You'll probably change your mind as you go. You'll realize that one qube
|
||||
As you're designing your own Qubes system, keep in mind some of the following
|
||||
lessons from our case studies:
|
||||
|
||||
- **You'll probably change your mind as you go.** You'll realize that one qube
|
||||
should really be split into two, or you'll realize that it doesn't really
|
||||
make sense for two qubes to be separate and that they should instead be
|
||||
merged into one. That's okay. Qubes OS supports your ability to adapt and
|
||||
@ -438,7 +454,7 @@ system, keep in mind some of the following lessons from our case studies:
|
||||
eventually settle down, and you'll find your groove. Changes to the way you
|
||||
organize your qubes will become less drastic and less frequent over time.
|
||||
|
||||
- [Make frequent backups.](/doc/how-to-back-up-restore-and-migrate/) Losing
|
||||
- **[Make frequent backups.](/doc/how-to-back-up-restore-and-migrate/)** Losing
|
||||
data is never fun, whether it's from an accidental deletion, a system crash,
|
||||
buggy software, or a hardware failure. By getting into the habit of making
|
||||
frequent backups now, you'll save yourself from a lot of pain in the future.
|
||||
@ -451,53 +467,53 @@ system, keep in mind some of the following lessons from our case studies:
|
||||
anymore without having to worry that you might need them again someday, since
|
||||
you know you can always restore them from a backup.
|
||||
|
||||
- Think about which programs you want to run and where you want to store data.
|
||||
In some cases, it makes sense to run programs and store data in the same
|
||||
qube, for example, if the data is generated by that program. In other cases,
|
||||
it makes sense to have qubes that are exclusively for storing data (e.g.,
|
||||
offline data storage vaults) and other qubes that are exclusively for running
|
||||
programs (e.g., web browser-only qubes). Remember that when you make backups,
|
||||
it's only essential to back up data that can't be replaced. This can allow
|
||||
you to achieve minimal backups that are quite small compared to the total
|
||||
size of your installation. Templates, service qubes, and qubes that are used
|
||||
exclusively for running programs and that contain no data don't necessarily
|
||||
have to be backed up as long as you're confident that you can recreate them
|
||||
if needed. This is why it's a good practice to keep notes on which packages
|
||||
you installed in which templates and which customizations and configurations
|
||||
you made. Then you can refer to your notes the next time you need to recreate
|
||||
those qubes. Of course, backing up everything is not a bad idea either. It
|
||||
may require a bit more time and disk space upfront, but for some people, it
|
||||
can be just as important as backing up their irreplaceable data. If your
|
||||
system is mission-critical, and you can't afford more than a certain amount
|
||||
of downtime, then by all means, back everything up!
|
||||
- **Think about which programs you want to run and where you want to store
|
||||
data.** In some cases, it makes sense to run programs and store data in the
|
||||
same qube, for example, if the data is generated by that program. In other
|
||||
cases, it makes sense to have qubes that are exclusively for storing data
|
||||
(e.g., offline data storage vaults) and other qubes that are exclusively for
|
||||
running programs (e.g., web browser-only qubes). Remember that when you make
|
||||
backups, it's only essential to back up data that can't be replaced. This can
|
||||
allow you to achieve minimal backups that are quite small compared to the
|
||||
total size of your installation. Templates, service qubes, and qubes that are
|
||||
used exclusively for running programs and that contain no data don't
|
||||
necessarily have to be backed up as long as you're confident that you can
|
||||
recreate them if needed. This is why it's a good practice to keep notes on
|
||||
which packages you installed in which templates and which customizations and
|
||||
configurations you made. Then you can refer to your notes the next time you
|
||||
need to recreate those qubes. Of course, backing up everything is not a bad
|
||||
idea either. It may require a bit more time and disk space upfront, but for
|
||||
some people, it can be just as important as backing up their irreplaceable
|
||||
data. If your system is mission-critical, and you can't afford more than a
|
||||
certain amount of downtime, then by all means, back everything up!
|
||||
|
||||
- Introspect on your own behavior. For example, if you find yourself wanting to
|
||||
find some way to get two qubes to share the same storage space, then this is
|
||||
probably a sign that those two qubes shouldn't be separate in the first
|
||||
place. Sharing storage with each other largely breaks down the secure wall
|
||||
between them, making the separation somewhat pointless. But you probably had
|
||||
a good reason for wanting to make them two separate qubes instead of one to
|
||||
begin with. What exactly was that reason? If it has to do with security, then
|
||||
why are you okay with them freely sharing data that could allow one to infect
|
||||
the other? If you're sure sharing the data wouldn't cause one to infect the
|
||||
other, then what's the security rationale for keeping them separate? By
|
||||
critically examining your own thought process in this way, you can uncover
|
||||
inconsistencies and contradictions that allow you to better refine your
|
||||
system, resulting in a more logical organization that serves your needs
|
||||
better and better over time.
|
||||
- **Introspect on your own behavior.** For example, if you find yourself
|
||||
wanting to find some way to get two qubes to share the same storage space,
|
||||
then this is probably a sign that those two qubes shouldn't be separate in
|
||||
the first place. Sharing storage with each other largely breaks down the
|
||||
secure wall between them, making the separation somewhat pointless. But you
|
||||
probably had a good reason for wanting to make them two separate qubes
|
||||
instead of one to begin with. What exactly was that reason? If it has to do
|
||||
with security, then why are you okay with them freely sharing data that could
|
||||
allow one to infect the other? If you're sure sharing the data wouldn't cause
|
||||
one to infect the other, then what's the security rationale for keeping them
|
||||
separate? By critically examining your own thought process in this way, you
|
||||
can uncover inconsistencies and contradictions that allow you to better
|
||||
refine your system, resulting in a more logical organization that serves your
|
||||
needs better and better over time.
|
||||
|
||||
- Don't assume that just because *you* can't find a way to attack your system,
|
||||
an adversary wouldn't be able to. When you're thinking about whether it's a
|
||||
good idea to combine different activities or data in a single qube, for
|
||||
example, you might think, "Well, I can't really see how these pose a risk to
|
||||
each other." The problem is that we often miss attack vectors that
|
||||
- **Don't assume that just because *you* can't find a way to attack your
|
||||
system, an adversary wouldn't be able to.** When you're thinking about
|
||||
whether it's a good idea to combine different activities or data in a single
|
||||
qube, for example, you might think, "Well, I can't really see how these pose
|
||||
a risk to each other." The problem is that we often miss attack vectors that
|
||||
sophisticated adversaries spot and can use against us. After all, most people
|
||||
don't think that using a conventional monolithic operating system is risky,
|
||||
when in reality their entire digital life can be taken down in one fell
|
||||
swoop. That's why a good rule of thumb is: When in doubt, compartmentalize.
|
||||
|
||||
- On the other hand, compartmentalization --- like everything else --- can be
|
||||
taken to an extreme. The appropriate amount depends on your temperament,
|
||||
- **But remember that compartmentalization --- like everything else --- can be
|
||||
taken to an extreme.** The appropriate amount depends on your temperament,
|
||||
time, patience, experience, risk tolerance, and expertise. In short, there
|
||||
can be such a thing as *too much* compartmentalization! You also have to be
|
||||
able to actually *use* your computer efficiently to do the things you need to
|
||||
|
Loading…
Reference in New Issue
Block a user