Users who want to browse more securely and privately, even if that means losing a bit of performance or comfort, have several tools at their disposal. One of the most popular, and why not media-friendly, is the Tor package, which through a special version of Firefox and several preconfigured modules allows us to mask our real location. However, there are also advanced solutions that reach the entire operating system, and one of the first names on the list is Tails.
I admit that this is not the first time we talk about Tails. Our previous visit was in September 2012, but with those (almost) four years of difference, we could say we are dealing with two completely different operating systems. Nevertheless, the essence remains the same: Tails is a Linux distro whose goal is to provide the user with a much more secure and private environment when browsing the Internet. There are applications that, due to their internal update mechanisms and other similar resources, can betray the user even if that is not their intention, but in addition to taking those details into account, Tails does a great job working as a Live DVD, Live USB, or from a memory card, notably reducing its digital footprint on the computer.
The Tails 2.4 Update
The latest stable version of Tails (2.4, to be precise) was released last June, and as always, the Tor package is at the forefront of its tools. A brief evaluation of version 2.3 revealed several security holes, with at least eight of them related to Firefox's use by Tor, which led to the integration of version 6.0.1 of the package, and the obvious recommendation to update the distro as soon as possible. The rest of the vulnerabilities affected Debian libraries that were reported and fixed. The new update also brought reinforcements to the kernel and firewall, along with minor interface tweaks, but a trained eye will surely be able to do as they please with GNOME without much effort. On the hardware support front, more printers are compatible with the distro, and playback of DRM-protected content (for example, original DVDs) should not present problems.
With the release of Tails 2.4 came confirmation of the next version, which will enter the ring on August 2. Veterans of Tails have probably already made the necessary updates, but anyone who wants to experiment with this distro can start now, or wait two more weeks if there's no rush.
