Theory Behind Qubes
Qubes is desktop environment based on Fedora that's all about security through
isolation. Qubes assumes that there can't be a truly secure operating system, so
instead it runs everything inside of virtual machines. This ensures that if you are
victim to a malicious attack, it doesn't spread to the operating system as a whole.
With Qubes, you create virtual machines for each of your environments. For
example, you could create a "Work" virtual machine that includes Firefox and
Thunderbird, a "Shopping" virtual machine that includes just Firefox, and then
whatever else you need. This way, when you're messing around in the "Shopping"
virtual machine, it's isolated from your "Work" virtual machine in case something
goes wrong. You can create virtual machines of Windows and Linux. You can also
create disposable virtual machines for one time actions. Whatever happens within
these virtual machines is isolated, but its not secured. If you run a buggy web
browser, Qubes doesn't do much to stop the exploit.
The architecture itself is set up to protect you as well. Your network connection
automatically gets its own virtual machine and you can set up a proxy server for
more security. Likewise, storage gets its own virtual machine as well, and
everything on your hard drive is automatically encrypted.
The major downfall with Qubes is the fact that you need to do everything
manually. Setting up virtual machines secures your system as a whole, but you
have to be proactive in actually using them. If you want your data to remain
secure, you have to separate it from everything else.
Pros: The isolation technique ensures that if you do download malware, your
entire system isn't infected. Qubes works on a wide variety of hardware, and it's
easy to securely share clipboard data between VMs.
Cons: Qubes requires that you take action to create the VMs, so none of the
security measures are foolproof. It's still totally susceptible to malware or other
attacks too, but there's less of a chance that it'll infect your whole system.
Who It's Best For: Qubes is best for proactive types who don't mind doing a bit of
work to set up a secure environment. If you're working on something you don't
want in other people's hands, writing out a bunch of personal information, or
you're just handing over your computer to a friend who love clicking on maliciouslooking sites, then a virtual machine's an easy way to keep things secure. Where
something like Tails does everything for you out of the box, Qubes takes a bit of
time to set up and get working. Qubes user manual is pretty giant so you have to
be willing to spend some time learning it.
In reality though, our addiction to dopamine-enabling technology in this instant
gratification culture prevents us from taking a step back and relearning the way we
use our devices. It’s a bittersweet love affair.