LinuxQuestions.org
Share your knowledge at the LQ Wiki.
Home Forums Tutorials Articles Register
Go Back   LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Distributions
User Name
Password
Linux - Distributions This forum is for Distribution specific questions.
Red Hat, Slackware, Debian, Novell, LFS, Mandriva, Ubuntu, Fedora - the list goes on and on... Note: An (*) indicates there is no official participation from that distribution here at LQ.

Notices


Reply
  Search this Thread
Old 02-22-2019, 11:40 AM   #1
whois1230
Member
 
Registered: Sep 2018
Posts: 214

Rep: Reputation: Disabled
Secure linux distros for intermediate user


Hello, I want to install a secure linux distro and am wondering which one to choose. I have experience with linux mint cinnamon, as I've been using it for about a year and a half. I am using a Wi-Fi network which I do not administrate, so I do not have admin rights. I only have the network's password. The reason I want to install a secure distro alongside Mint, is that I want to torrent and keep all of my activities hidden, so that the network administrator cannot see what I am doing. I already use a free VPN service called Windscribe, but am not sure whether that is secure enough, and it's the free version, so I only have 10GB a month. I found an article which lists the most secure linux distros, based on the writers opinion https://www.ubuntupit.com/15-most-se...concern-users/ , but I would like to read more opinions. It states that the more user-friendly distros are Subgraph OS, Heads OS and PureOS, others are Parrot Security OS, Linux Kodachi, Kali Linux, Whonix, IprediaOS and Alpine Linux. I am looking for a distribution which I can install, and not a live disc. Of the beforementioned distros, I find Parrot Security and Kodachi the best for my needs, however, I don't know whether they are user-friendly, and if not, how hard are they to learn? I am already familiar with the terminal. Do all of these distros have root enabled for everything? Is it possible to install Kali Linux, or is it only a live-CD like Tails?

Last edited by whois1230; 02-22-2019 at 11:42 AM.
 
Old 02-22-2019, 11:50 AM   #2
hydrurga
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Nov 2008
Location: Pictland
Distribution: Linux Mint 21 MATE
Posts: 8,048
Blog Entries: 5

Rep: Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925
I don't think a "secure distro" is what you are looking for, and anyway that term can mean so many different things. What you are looking for is a way to hide your network traffic from your wifi router. In that case, you don't need to use another distro, just keep on using a VPN that allows torrents and/or use Tor or similar. However the router will still be able to see that you are connected to a VPN or a Tor entry point, just not what you are actually doing.
 
2 members found this post helpful.
Old 02-22-2019, 11:53 AM   #3
hydrurga
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Nov 2008
Location: Pictland
Distribution: Linux Mint 21 MATE
Posts: 8,048
Blog Entries: 5

Rep: Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925Reputation: 2925
An additional point is that torrenting certain types of material is illegal in some countries and jurisdictions. If you are using someone else's wifi then you have a responsibility not to do anything that might get that person into trouble if any illegal activity gets tracked back to their IP. Bear that in mind with any decisions that you make.
 
2 members found this post helpful.
Old 02-22-2019, 11:56 AM   #4
Turbocapitalist
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Apr 2005
Distribution: Linux Mint, Devuan, OpenBSD
Posts: 7,309
Blog Entries: 3

Rep: Reputation: 3721Reputation: 3721Reputation: 3721Reputation: 3721Reputation: 3721Reputation: 3721Reputation: 3721Reputation: 3721Reputation: 3721Reputation: 3721Reputation: 3721
Kali is not relevant to the needs you describe. You might try with Tails but as mentioned the router will still be able to see that you are connecting to the Tor network and if traffic is moving or not. However, Tor is not going to mix safely with torrenting so a different VPN is needed.

As to what you torrent, be careful. Some content, such as GNU/Linux installation images for various distros, is perfectly fine. Other content is not fine, especially if you seed.
 
1 members found this post helpful.
Old 02-23-2019, 02:05 AM   #5
ondoho
LQ Addict
 
Registered: Dec 2013
Posts: 19,872
Blog Entries: 12

Rep: Reputation: 6053Reputation: 6053Reputation: 6053Reputation: 6053Reputation: 6053Reputation: 6053Reputation: 6053Reputation: 6053Reputation: 6053Reputation: 6053Reputation: 6053
Quote:
Originally Posted by whois1230 View Post
I want to torrent and keep all of my activities hidden, so that the network administrator cannot see what I am doing. I already use a free VPN ...
you are correct that you cannot keep torrenting activities hidden.
to what extent a VPN helps i'm not sure, but i'm pretty sure that even a paid subscription will put a lid on that rather sooner than later.
also, if you're doing something illegal, the VPN provider will probably not allow it at all. they could do worse things, read their TOS!
 
1 members found this post helpful.
Old 02-23-2019, 02:26 AM   #6
pan64
LQ Addict
 
Registered: Mar 2012
Location: Hungary
Distribution: debian/ubuntu/suse ...
Posts: 21,850

Rep: Reputation: 7309Reputation: 7309Reputation: 7309Reputation: 7309Reputation: 7309Reputation: 7309Reputation: 7309Reputation: 7309Reputation: 7309Reputation: 7309Reputation: 7309
it was not mentioned, so: it is not the distro, but the owner who can make it secure. So you can use your preferred one and secure it as you like. This will work [almost] the same way for every distro. If you want to be sure about that you need to learn about security. And use your preferred distro.
 
1 members found this post helpful.
  


Reply



Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off



Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
LXer: SCP (Secure Copy) | Guide for the beginner to the Intermediate user LXer Syndicated Linux News 0 04-26-2012 04:20 PM
Any good distros for intermediate users? mag1strate General 8 10-03-2009 03:41 PM
Distros, distros, distros...slight rant.. Jamesb427 Linux - Distributions 1 05-31-2007 03:10 PM
LXer: See distros. See distros run. Run, distros, run. LXer Syndicated Linux News 0 06-13-2006 01:24 AM
Intermediate Linux user looking to settle on non buggy desktop distro thebeast Linux - Distributions 31 10-08-2004 02:55 PM

LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Distributions

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:53 AM.

Main Menu
Advertisement
My LQ
Write for LQ
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute content, let us know.
Main Menu
Syndicate
RSS1  Latest Threads
RSS1  LQ News
Twitter: @linuxquestions
Open Source Consulting | Domain Registration