Isolation with Qubes OS 4.0
Safe Cube
By isolating complete work environments in virtual machines, Qubes OS offers a significant security boost.
Linux users with an eye on security often turn to Live systems such as Tails [1]. One significant limitation of the leading security distros is that they offer little protection at runtime: All applications run in a common context.
Qubes OS [2] takes a different approach. Security in Qubes is the result of isolation. Chief developer and security researcher Joanna Rutkowska [3] assumes that, with the millions of lines of code and instructions in today's applications, no perfectly error-free desktop user environment can exist. She calls Qubes OS a "reasonably secure operating system."
Isolation has been an option within the Linux scene for years. Technologies such as sandboxes, containers, and virtual machines (VMs) all offer some means to limit an application's access to the system. If isolation is deployed effectively, an intruder who takes over the application won't be able to access the rest of the operating system. Qubes OS is designed with the goal of building this isolation into the user environment, so it is extremely easy to implement. In fact, there is no excuse not to implement it.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
LibreOffice 26.2 Now Available
With new features, improvements, and bug fixes, LibreOffice 26.2 delivers a modern, polished office suite without compromise.
-
Linux Kernel Project Releases Project Continuity Document
What happens to Linux when there's no Linus? It's a question many of us have asked over the years, and it seems it's also on the minds of the Linux kernel project.
-
Mecha Systems Introduces Linux Handheld
Mecha Systems has revealed its Mecha Comet, a new handheld computer powered by – you guessed it – Linux.
-
MX Linux 25.1 Features Dual Init System ISO
The latest release of MX Linux caters to lovers of two different init systems and even offers instructions on how to transition.
-
Photoshop on Linux?
A developer has patched Wine so that it'll run specific versions of Photoshop that depend on Adobe Creative Cloud.
-
Linux Mint 22.3 Now Available with New Tools
Linux Mint 22.3 has been released with a pair of new tools for system admins and some pretty cool new features.
-
New Linux Malware Targets Cloud-Based Linux Installations
VoidLink, a new Linux malware, should be of real concern because of its stealth and customization.
-
Say Goodbye to Middle-Mouse Paste
Both Gnome and Firefox have proposed getting rid of a long-time favorite Linux feature.
-
Manjaro 26.0 Primary Desktop Environments Default to Wayland
If you want to stick with X.Org, you'll be limited to the desktop environments you can choose.
-
Mozilla Plans to AI-ify Firefox
With a new CEO in control, Mozilla is doubling down on a strategy of trust, all the while leaning into AI.