Echo111ohce
New Member
This will be my second post of a step by step guide for ways to help improve anonymity on the internet.
I’m sure a lot of people on this forum already know how to do this but I figured it couldn’t hurt to make this post for anyone that doesn’t. I wanted to make it as simple as possible, directed towards people with little to no experience. Also felt like it was a way to contribute something to the forum. This is meant for an absolute beginner with limited knowledge of how to remain “anonymous” on the internet. I talked about booting tails from a usb drive in the last post. This one will be running whonix inside virtualbox. This seems like a lot of steps at first but it’s actually really simple to setup. It’s a virtual machine, you can’t fuck it up. Absolute worst case is, you delete the installed whonix and start over. Don’t get confused with words like data partitioning. All that means in this case is how much space on your hard drive you want to give it.
Virtualbox, simply put, is a computer inside your computer. It’s like opening a window on your screen where a whole different computer is running inside. Everything you do in that virtual computer only affects the virtual one while your real computer stays safe and separate. Let’s say you click some random titties and it infects your computer. If you’re running virtualbox, it only affects the virtual one.
Another benefit is that it’s much more convenient once it’s setup than dealing with the hassle of constantly having to turn your computer off, enter bios, and boot from usb.
All you do is open the virtualbox program and click which operating system you want to start. It’s like hitting the power button on your main computer.
INSTALLING VIRTUALBOX
Step 1: Installing VirtualBox
Download VirtualBox from the site. www(dot)virtualbox(dot)org/wiki/Downloads
Step 2. Click the “Windows hosts” link (Mac if it applies to you) to download the installer (it’s a .exe file so it will say something like VirtualBox-7.x.x-Win.exe).
Step 3. Click it and run through setup wizard. Default settings will be fine for now. It may talk about restarting drivers and some more stuff but just click okay, I accept, etc. Eventually you’ll click the finish button and that’s it.
INSTALLING WHONIX ON VIRTUALBOX
Whonix comes as two parts: Gateway (handles anonymity via Tor) and Workstation (where you browse).
step 1. Go to the Whonix download page (look for “Download Whonix” on the site). www(dot)whonix(dot)org/
Step 2. Click the “VirtualBox” version (it’s an .ova file, like Whonix-LXQt-17.x.x.ova—pick the stable one for Intel/AMD64 computers). You’ll see it when you’re there.
Step 3. Download the file (it’s a fairly large file, about 5-10GB so it might take a while to download).
Step 4. Open VirtualBox.
Click the File tab on the top. It will say something like “Import Appliance” (or drag the .ova file into the VirtualBox window).
Click the downloaded .ova file and click “Next.”
Review the settings. You can keep the defaults, but if your computer has enough power, give more RAM (e.g., 4GB for Gateway, 8GB for Workstation). Click “Import.”
Step 5. Wait for it to finish. This should create two new virtual machines: Whonix-Gateway and Whonix-Workstation.
SETTING UP AND USING WHONIX FOR ANONYMITY
step 1. In VirtualBox, click Whonix-Gateway in the list on the left. A desktop will appear (no login needed at first).
Once Gateway is running, start Whonix-Workstation the same way.
Step 2. On the Workstation login screen, use username: “user” and password: “changeme” (change the password later for security— it’ll prompt you).
Step 3. Inside Workstation, open the browser (like Tor Browser). All your internet use here is anonymous— it goes through the Gateway and Tor automatically. No extra steps of installing tor. This is one reason why whonix is great.
Step 4.
You will want to keep things up to date. This is where Linux can get fun. You will see a program called “terminal”. This is like the Windows Command Prompt on steroids (pun intended).
Click terminal.
Type
“sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade”
You will be prompted to enter your password.
It will ask if you want to proceed
Type “Y”
((When you are finished using whonix, it is good practice to close the windows properly (use the shutdown button inside each virtual machine) to avoid issues.))
Tips:
Always start Gateway first, then Workstation.
Don’t change network settings in VirtualBox. Whonix handles it for anonymity.
Test it. Search “what’s my IP” in the Workstation browser—it should show a different IP.
DO NOT LOG IN OR SEARCH FOR ANY PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, LOCAL WEATHER, NONE OF THAT STUFF if you wish to stay as anonymous as possible.
WHY DO THIS?
a lot of times LE chooses low hanging fruit. Don’t be low hanging fruit.
You are now free to look at all the titties and gear porn your heart desires.
“The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.”
I’m sure a lot of people on this forum already know how to do this but I figured it couldn’t hurt to make this post for anyone that doesn’t. I wanted to make it as simple as possible, directed towards people with little to no experience. Also felt like it was a way to contribute something to the forum. This is meant for an absolute beginner with limited knowledge of how to remain “anonymous” on the internet. I talked about booting tails from a usb drive in the last post. This one will be running whonix inside virtualbox. This seems like a lot of steps at first but it’s actually really simple to setup. It’s a virtual machine, you can’t fuck it up. Absolute worst case is, you delete the installed whonix and start over. Don’t get confused with words like data partitioning. All that means in this case is how much space on your hard drive you want to give it.
Virtualbox, simply put, is a computer inside your computer. It’s like opening a window on your screen where a whole different computer is running inside. Everything you do in that virtual computer only affects the virtual one while your real computer stays safe and separate. Let’s say you click some random titties and it infects your computer. If you’re running virtualbox, it only affects the virtual one.
Another benefit is that it’s much more convenient once it’s setup than dealing with the hassle of constantly having to turn your computer off, enter bios, and boot from usb.
All you do is open the virtualbox program and click which operating system you want to start. It’s like hitting the power button on your main computer.
INSTALLING VIRTUALBOX
Step 1: Installing VirtualBox
Download VirtualBox from the site. www(dot)virtualbox(dot)org/wiki/Downloads
Step 2. Click the “Windows hosts” link (Mac if it applies to you) to download the installer (it’s a .exe file so it will say something like VirtualBox-7.x.x-Win.exe).
Step 3. Click it and run through setup wizard. Default settings will be fine for now. It may talk about restarting drivers and some more stuff but just click okay, I accept, etc. Eventually you’ll click the finish button and that’s it.
INSTALLING WHONIX ON VIRTUALBOX
Whonix comes as two parts: Gateway (handles anonymity via Tor) and Workstation (where you browse).
step 1. Go to the Whonix download page (look for “Download Whonix” on the site). www(dot)whonix(dot)org/
Step 2. Click the “VirtualBox” version (it’s an .ova file, like Whonix-LXQt-17.x.x.ova—pick the stable one for Intel/AMD64 computers). You’ll see it when you’re there.
Step 3. Download the file (it’s a fairly large file, about 5-10GB so it might take a while to download).
Step 4. Open VirtualBox.
Click the File tab on the top. It will say something like “Import Appliance” (or drag the .ova file into the VirtualBox window).
Click the downloaded .ova file and click “Next.”
Review the settings. You can keep the defaults, but if your computer has enough power, give more RAM (e.g., 4GB for Gateway, 8GB for Workstation). Click “Import.”
Step 5. Wait for it to finish. This should create two new virtual machines: Whonix-Gateway and Whonix-Workstation.
SETTING UP AND USING WHONIX FOR ANONYMITY
step 1. In VirtualBox, click Whonix-Gateway in the list on the left. A desktop will appear (no login needed at first).
Once Gateway is running, start Whonix-Workstation the same way.
Step 2. On the Workstation login screen, use username: “user” and password: “changeme” (change the password later for security— it’ll prompt you).
Step 3. Inside Workstation, open the browser (like Tor Browser). All your internet use here is anonymous— it goes through the Gateway and Tor automatically. No extra steps of installing tor. This is one reason why whonix is great.
Step 4.
You will want to keep things up to date. This is where Linux can get fun. You will see a program called “terminal”. This is like the Windows Command Prompt on steroids (pun intended).
Click terminal.
Type
“sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade”
You will be prompted to enter your password.
It will ask if you want to proceed
Type “Y”
((When you are finished using whonix, it is good practice to close the windows properly (use the shutdown button inside each virtual machine) to avoid issues.))
Tips:
Always start Gateway first, then Workstation.
Don’t change network settings in VirtualBox. Whonix handles it for anonymity.
Test it. Search “what’s my IP” in the Workstation browser—it should show a different IP.
DO NOT LOG IN OR SEARCH FOR ANY PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, LOCAL WEATHER, NONE OF THAT STUFF if you wish to stay as anonymous as possible.
WHY DO THIS?
a lot of times LE chooses low hanging fruit. Don’t be low hanging fruit.
You are now free to look at all the titties and gear porn your heart desires.
“The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.”
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