Qubes OS 3.0 RC

[DeadDrop]

http://distrowatch.com/?newsid=07435

Fedora-based security distribution for the desktop with a number of isolated domains implemented as lightweight virtual machines running under Xen: "After nearly three years of work, I have a pleasure to announce that Qubes OS 1.0 has finally been released.

 

[Ink]

Bump. Expect Qubes OS 3.0 this September, or soon.

QUBES OS PROJECT - Qubes OS Project

Qubes is an open-source operating system designed to provide strong security for desktop computing using Security by Compartmentalization approach. Qubes is based on Xen, the X Window System, and Linux, and can run most Linux applications and utilize most of the Linux drivers.
Qubes Release 1 was released in September 2012 and Release 2 in September 2014. Qubes also supports Windows-based AppVMs beginning with Release 2 (currently in “Beta”). Qubes Release 3 is coming soon and will introduce Hypervisor Abstraction Layer (HAL), allowing easy porting to alternative virtualization systems.

How does Qubes provide security?

"Qubes allows you to separate the various parts of your digital life into securely isolated virtual machines (VMs). A VM is basically a simulated computer with its own OS which runs as software on your physical computer. You can think of a VM as a computer within a computer. This allows you to have, for example, one VM for visiting untrusted websites and a different VM for doing online banking. This way, if your untrusted browsing VM get compromised by a malware-laden website, your online banking activities won’t be at risk. Similarly, if you’re concerned about risky email attachments, Qubes can make it so that every attachment gets opened in its own single-use, “disposable” VM.

In general, Qubes takes an approach called security by isolation, which in this context means keeping the things you do on your computer securely isolated in different VMs so that one VM getting compromised won’t affect the others. This allows you to do everything on a single physical computer without having to worry about one successful cyberattack taking down your entire digital life in one fell swoop."

More Information: SimpleIntro
Talks about difference between Type 2 hypervisors (VirtualBox and VMware) to Type 1 hypervisors (Xen).

 

[RmG152]

Wow, rly interesting project, thanks for sharing.