Hack #2.5: Virtual Machines with Tails OS as Host OS

What if you wanted to run the Zoom client app? You cannot do so on Tails OS without seriously altering the Tails OS system files, which is perilous, and I will not help you do that. However, you can run the Zoom client app within a virtual machine with Tails OS as the host OS. I do NOT recommend you do this. Why? Two reasons:

First, running a guest OS inside of Tails OS as a host dramatically increases the surface area for an attacker.

Second, you cannot run a guest OS inside of Tails OS using bare-metal virtualization technologies. Well, actually, you can, but you will not be able to access the Internet, so your guest OS in that case would be limited to offline activities. Instead, to run a guest OS inside of Tails OS using Tails OS as the host OS, you must use emulation, specifically, QEMU emulators, which are PAINFULLY slow.

Instead of providing a step-by-step guide on how to set up a guest OS inside of Tails OS as the host OS, I will provide some important clues. A person wanting to do this and who is determined to do this can figure it out.  A PDF version of these clues can be found here.  The password to open the PDF file is "aboutwes.com".

Clue #1: Tails OS does not allow Oracle Virtual Box (boo!), but does allow Gnome Boxes.

Clue #2: Pure virtualization (i.e.: running a virtual machine with the BIOS virtualization settings set to enabled) will allow a virtual machine to run at near full speed, but will inhibit the virtual machine from accessing the Internet because of Tails OS deliberate limitations (all in the name of security).

Clue #3: Disabling the virtualization settings in the BIOS will force Gnome Boxes to emulate the machine, which cripples the virtual machine's performance, but WILL allow the virtual machine to access the Internet.  Unlike a virtual machine, an emulated machine is working under a fiction of entirely separate hardware.

Clue #4: There are ways to mitigate the slowness of QEMU emulators, like using the smallest guest OS possible.  I strongly recommend Damn Small Linux 2024 (DSL 2024) or Puppy Linux for that purpose, with DSL 2024 preferred.  DSL 2024 can be downloaded as a live CD, with enough free space to save an installation of the Zoom client app.

Clue #5: Gnome Boxes does NOT install QEMU emulators by default.  QEMU emulators and Gnome Boxes can be both installed in the Synaptic Package Manager app.

Clue #6: Proxychains is required to download an OS within Gnome Boxes.

Clue #7: Launching Gnome Boxes from the non-root terminal might be helpful.

Clue #8: You will have to reconstruct the virtual machine each time you restart Tails OS.  The hassle of this can be mitigated by saving a live ISO to the Persistent folder and using the smallest possible guest OS (i.e: DSL 2024).

Clue #9: Using Debian-based small Linux distros will make life easier than other flavors of Linux.

Clue #10: Using the guest OS only for the shortest duration of time and deleting the guest OS after each use mitigates some of the security risks; as long as the live ISO file is saved to the Persistent folder, deleting the guest OS after each use should not erase files saved while using the guest OS.

Clue #11: If all else fails, you should really ask yourself, "Why am I doing this???"  DSL 2024 can be booted from a USB thumb drive, which would result in much faster performance and allow you to use the Zoom client without any issues.  Running Zoom within Tails OS will be extremely slow due to the bottleneck in the Tor network.  Ask yourself, "Am I really under the threat of a totalitarian government?"  Remember, if you are NOT under such a threat and you ARE engaging in illicit activities, the police in a liberal democracy can obtain a warrant upon finding probable cause to tap calls.  Microsoft and Zoom will almost certainly comply with such a warrant signed off on by a judge.

KEEP READING -> : Hack #3, Cryptocurrency Mining

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