How to Setup Tails Linux On GCP(Google Cloud Platform)

Introduction

Tails stand for The Amnesic Incognito Live System. It is a security-focused Debian-based Linux distribution that helps to maintain privacy and anonymity. It is designed to be booted as a live USB and DVD, and it does not leave a digital footprint on the machine unless it is explicitly ordered to. It can also be operated as a virtual system, but it comes with its own set of security concerns. It only links to the internet via the Tor anonymity network.

In this article, we will introduce three topics

• Tails Linux — It is a very secure and portable OS that uses the Tor network to protect users’ online privacy while also assisting them in circumventing internet censorship. It was initially designed and developed for the Project Secure Whistleblowers to protect whistleblower’s identities. It is the most secure operating system because of its flexibility. Although, regular users may download and use the TAIL operating system for free if they wish to protect their privacy and data flow.
• Features of Tails Linux which is provided by Techlatest.net
• Step by Step guide — Guide on how to set up Tails Linux Environment on GCP(Google Cloud Platform).

Features of Tails Linux provided by Techlatest.net

• Easy Setup: Setting up Tails Linux is incredibly easy, making it an attractive choice for both beginners and experienced users. The installation process is straightforward and user-friendly, ensuring a smooth experience for those new to the operating system. And You can setup the OS in few clicks.
• Preinstalled tools: Tails Linux which is provided by Techlatest comes with infinite Preinstalled packages.

Step by Step Guide to install, setup, and run Tails Linux On GCP (Google Cloud Platform)

Note

If you want to save time to setting up an Tails Linux on GCP with out of the box environment, you can opt for Techlatest’s Tails Linux, available on the GCP marketplace.

Step 1

Open Tails Linux listing on GCP Marketplace.

• Step 2

Click on the Launch Button.

Select a zone where you want to launch the VM(such as us-east1-)

Optionally change the number of cores and amount of memory. ( This defaults to 2 vCPUs and 7.5 GB ram. Please select machine from N1 series only as highlighted below).

Optionally change the boot disk type and size. (This defaults to ‘Standard Persistent Disk’ and 30 GB respectively).

Optionally change the network name and subnetwork names. Be sure that whichever network you specify has ports 22 (for SSH) and 3389 (for RDP) exposed.

Click on the Deploy Button when you are done.

Tails Linux will be start deploying.

• Step 3

A summary page is displays when the compute engine is successfully deployed. Click on the Instance link to go to the instance page.

• Step 4

On the instance page, click on the “SSH” button, select “Open in browser window”.

• Step 5

This will open SSH window in a browser.

• Step 6

Run the below command to set the password for “ubuntu” user.

• Step 7

Now the password for ubuntu user is set, you can connect to the VM’s desktop environment from any local windows machine using RDP or linux machine using Remmina.

• Step 8

To connect using RDP via Windows machine, first note the external IP of the VM from VM details page as highlighted below.

• Step 9

Then From your local windows machine, go to “start” menu , in the search box type and select “Remote desktop connection”.

• Step 10

In the “Remote Desktop connection” wizard, paste the external IP and click on the connect button.

• Step 11

This will connect you to the VM’s desktop environment. Provide “ubuntu” as the user id and the password set in step 6 to authenticate. Click on the OK button.

• Step 12

Now you are connected to out of box Tails Linux environment via Windows machines.

• Step 13

Once you are connected to GUI, click on the tails-linux VM icon on the desktop, this will start the tails VM inside ubuntu VM. Wait for 4–5 minutes for tails startup. In case you encountered a blank screen on clicking the VM, please check the Troubleshooting Guide to fix the issue and the continue with below steps:

• Step 14

Setting up root password :
After 4–5 minutes, below welcome screen will come, click on the “+” sign in the bottom which will open additional settings menu.

Select Administration Password and enter the password for admin user and click on Add button on top right.

• Step 15

Now the password for Admin user is set, click on the Start Tails on top right.

• Step 16

Setting screen resolution:
Once tails VM start, reset the screen resolution . For that, click on the arrow on the top right, click the setting icon, the setting page will come, search for “display” in the top right search box . Select display setting and change the resolution to “1280x768 (16:10)” option, click on Apply. It will ask you to keep the changes or revert it. Click keep the new settings. This will expand the window to fit the screen . You can change resolution to other settings as per your preference.

• Step 17

Connecting to tor:
The tor connection wizard will be displayed by default. Select Connect to Tor automatically option and press Connect to Tor button.

• Step 18

Tails Application:
You can use different applications from the application menu of Tails.

Tails comes with lots of open-source tools and software to operate and communicate securely. You can use The Tor Browser with uBlock ad blocker built in, Thunderbird which is an email client that encrypts emails, KeePassXC which is a password manager and OnionShare to share files over Tor among others.

• Step 19

The default tails VM will come with 4GB RAM. If you are experiencing latency or performance issue with VM, please follow How to increase VM performance guide.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Tails Linux is a highly secure and portable operating system designed to protect user privacy and assist them in circumventing internet censorship. It is easy to set up and comes with pre-installed tools making it a popular choice for both beginners and experienced users. Techlatest.net offers an easy step-by-step guide to help users set up Tails Linux on GCP (Google Cloud Platform) in just a few clicks. Their pre-configured out of the box environment saves time and effort. Once you have set up the Tails Linux environment, you can use a variety of open-source tools and software, including the Tor browser, Thunderbird email client, KeePassXC password manager, and OnionShare to share files over Tor. Tails Linux is an excellent choice for anyone looking to ensure their online privacy and protect their data flow.

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