Linux Format - UK (2020-03)

http://www.techradar.com/pro/linux March 2020 LXF260 19

Distribution REVIEWS

Qubes works

on the principle

of security

by isolation.

It makes

intelligent use

of virtualisation

to ensure

that malicious

software

remains

restricted and

isolated from

other parts of

the installation.

CPU: Intel VT-x

with EPT or

AMD-V with RVI

along with Intel

VT-d or AMD

IOMMU

MEM: 4GB

HDD: 32GB

BUILD: 64-bit

only

IN BRIEF

MIN SPEC

VERDICT

Manager app, whose duties have now been delegated

to apps in other logical places. Some of them have

been assigned to the new Qube Manager widget in

the system tray that can be used for monitoring and

managing AppVMs.

All the VMs in the Qubes main menu now list a Qube

Settings entry. This leads to a multi-tabbed settings panel

from where you can control various aspects of that VM.

Settings that affect the operation of Qubes OS as a whole

have been moved to a separate app named Qubes Global

Settings; there’s also a separate app for creating new

custom AppVMs.

All said and done, while it might sound like a handful

Qubes isn’t cumbersome to operate. Thanks to the new

logically positioned management apps, it wouldn’t take

much time and effort to get used to the nuances of the

distro and to mould it to your requirements.

on’t let the relatively small version fool you; the

Qubes project has been putting out releases for

almost a decade. In that period, Qubes has

established itself as arguably the most popular security-

centric distribution, thanks mainly to its unique approach

of isolating the essential elements that constitute an

operating system inside different virtual machines.

Essentially, Qubes divides an installation into a series

of virtual domains called qubes. An individual instance of

an app is restricted within its own qube. So you run Firefox

in one to visit untrusted websites and another instance of

the browser in a different qube to transact online. A

malware-ridden website in the untrusted qube will not

affect the banking session.

Despite its radically different approach, Qubes isn’t all

that different from your typical distro. Sure, it does have a

learning curve, but this isn’t abrupt enough to prevent you

from using the distro post-installation. Qubes is based on

Fedora and uses the Xfce desktop environment, but you’ll

need to familiarise yourself with its peculiarities. For

instance, instead of a list of apps, the application menu

lists several qubes, such as Work, Personal, Untrusted,

each of which rolls the individual apps inside them.

The distro only ships with a handful of the most

essential desktop apps, and you can fetch additional

ones with the package manager like a regular distro. But

here again, you’ll need to make sure you flesh out the

installation from within the DomU unprivileged domain,

or you’ll end up negating Qubes’ security advantages.

Another major diversion from typical distros is that

Qubes isn’t designed as a multi-user system. The user

that logs into Dom0 controls the whole system. Also,

don’t expect to play Steam games inside an AppVM of its

own just yet, as Qubes doesn’t virtualise OpenGL. Its

developers argue that this would introduce a great deal of

complexity to the GUI virtualisation infrastructure.

Streamlined execution

The current version, v4.0.2 is a point release that applies

the latest updates to the major 4.0 release. A majority of

the changes in v4.0 are behind the scenes. Many of these

manifested themselves in terms of changes to how users

interact with the installation.

Perhaps the biggest change in this release is that the

project has ditched paravirtualisation (PV) and switched

over to full virtualisation. The developers admit that PV

might not be the right technology for security-critical

applications. For instance, PV VMs don’t protect against

the Meltdown attack. Also, the edge PV offered over full-

virtualisation back when Qubes was on the drawing board

has been lost thanks to the second-generation

virtualisation technologies like Intel EPT and AMD RVI.

Another talking point of the release has been the more

coherent user experience. One of the most important

steps in this direction is the breakup of the Qubes

Qubes 4.0.

Although it’s only a point release, Mayank Sharma is curious to tinker with

the distro that comes recommended by Edward Snowden himself.

D

The best option to run a secure installation, its advantages

far outweigh the investment it requires, both in terms of

learning to work with its peculiarities and additional

hardware resources.

FEATURES 8/

PERFORMANCE 8/

EASE OF USE 7/

DOCUMENTATION 8/

Rating 8/

DEVELOPER: Invisible Things Lab

WEB: http://www.qubes-os.org

LICENCE: GPL v2 and others

Check out our detailed hands-on Qubes guide (LXF248, page 94) to get

to grips with the distro.

MMMarch 20102ah9Alt29lougi’ March 2020 LXF260 19

Distribution REVIEWS

Qubesworks
ontheprinciple
ofsecurity
byisolation.
Itmakes
intelligentuse
ofvirtualisation
toensure
thatmalicious
software
remains
restrictedand
isolatedfrom
otherpartsof
theinstallation.

CPU:IntelVT-x
withEPTor
AMD-VwithRVI
alongwithIntel
VT-dorAMD
IOMMU
MEM:4GB
HDD:32GB
BUILD:64-bit
only

INBRIEF

MINSPEC

VERDICT

Managerapp,whosedutieshavenowbeendelegated

toappsinotherlogicalplaces.Someofthemhave

beenassignedtothenewQubeManagerwidgetin

thesystemtraythatcanbeusedformonitoringand

managingAppVMs.

AlltheVMsintheQubesmainmenunowlistaQube

Settingsentry.Thisleadstoamulti-tabbedsettingspanel

fromwhereyoucancontrolvariousaspectsofthatVM.

SettingsthataffecttheoperationofQubesOSasawhole

havebeenmovedtoaseparateappnamedQubesGlobal

Settings;there’salsoaseparateappforcreatingnew

customAppVMs.

Allsaidanddone,whileitmightsoundlikeahandful

Qubesisn’tcumbersometooperate.Thankstothenew

logicallypositionedmanagementapps,itwouldn’ttake

muchtimeandefforttogetusedtothenuancesofthe

distroandtomouldittoyourrequirements.

on’tlettherelativelysmallversionfoolyou;the

Qubesprojecthasbeenputtingoutreleasesfor

almostadecade.Inthatperiod,Qubeshas

establisheditselfasarguablythemostpopularsecurity-

centricdistribution,thanksmainlytoitsuniqueapproach

ofisolatingtheessentialelementsthatconstitutean

operatingsysteminsidedifferentvirtualmachines.

Essentially,Qubesdividesaninstallationintoaseries

ofvirtualdomainscalledqubes.Anindividualinstanceof

anappisrestrictedwithinitsownqube.SoyourunFirefox

inonetovisituntrustedwebsitesandanotherinstanceof

thebrowserinadifferentqubetotransactonline.A

malware-riddenwebsiteintheuntrustedqubewillnot

affectthebankingsession.

Despiteitsradicallydifferentapproach,Qubesisn’tall

thatdifferentfromyourtypicaldistro.Sure,itdoeshavea

learningcurve,butthisisn’tabruptenoughtopreventyou

fromusingthedistropost-installation.Qubesisbasedon

FedoraandusestheXfcedesktopenvironment,butyou’ll

needtofamiliariseyourselfwithitspeculiarities.For

instance,insteadofalistofapps,theapplicationmenu

listsseveralqubes,suchasWork,Personal,Untrusted,

eachofwhichrollstheindividualappsinsidethem.

Thedistroonlyshipswithahandfulofthemost

essentialdesktopapps,andyoucanfetchadditional

oneswiththepackagemanagerlikearegulardistro.But

hereagain,you’llneedtomakesureyoufleshoutthe

installationfromwithintheDomUunprivilegeddomain,

oryou’llendupnegatingQubes’securityadvantages.

Anothermajordiversionfromtypicaldistrosisthat

Qubesisn’tdesignedasamulti-usersystem.Theuser

thatlogsintoDom0controlsthewholesystem.Also,

don’texpecttoplaySteamgamesinsideanAppVMofits

ownjustyet,asQubesdoesn’tvirtualiseOpenGL.Its

developersarguethatthiswouldintroduceagreatdealof

complexitytotheGUIvirtualisationinfrastructure.

Streamlinedexecution

Thecurrentversion,v4.0.2isapointreleasethatapplies

thelatestupdatestothemajor4.0release.Amajorityof

thechangesinv4.0arebehindthescenes.Manyofthese

manifestedthemselvesintermsofchangestohowusers

interactwiththeinstallation.

Perhapsthebiggestchangeinthisreleaseisthatthe

projecthasditchedparavirtualisation(PV)andswitched

overtofullvirtualisation.ThedevelopersadmitthatPV

mightnotbetherighttechnologyforsecurity-critical

applications.Forinstance,PVVMsdon’tprotectagainst

theMeltdownattack.Also,theedgePVofferedoverfull-

virtualisationbackwhenQubeswasonthedrawingboard

hasbeenlostthankstothesecond-generation

virtualisationtechnologieslikeIntelEPTandAMDRVI.

Anothertalkingpointofthereleasehasbeenthemore

coherentuserexperience.Oneofthemostimportant

steps in this direction is the breakup of the Qubes

Qubes 4.0.

Although it’s only a point release, Mayank Sharma is curious to tinker with

the distro that comes recommended by Edward Snowden himself.

D

Thebestoptiontoruna secureinstallation,itsadvantages

faroutweightheinvestmentit requires,bothintermsof

learningtoworkwithitspeculiaritiesandadditional

hardwareresources.

FEATURES 8/

PERFORMANCE 8/

EASEOFUSE 7/

DOCUMENTATION 8/

Rating 8/

DEVELOPER: Invisible Things Lab

WEB: http://www.qubes-os.org

LICENCE: GPL v2 and others

Check out our detailed hands-on Qubes guide (LXF248, page 94) to get

to grips with the distro.