14 DAY TRIAL // Tails 0.23, a live system that aims to preserve your privacy and that helps you use the Internet anonymously, has been officially released and is ready for download.
Tails is a distribution based on Debian and TOR technologies that aims to keep its users as anonymous as possible and it's using the right tools for the job, including a heavily modified Web browser based on Mozilla Firefox ESR and patches from Iceweasel and Tor Browser.
Unlike most other Linux operating systems, Tails is not built to be installed on the target computer, but only to run in a Live session from a DVD, USB stick, or SD card. This is the default procedure, but the developers also provide a Tails installer, if you want to make a more permanent OS.
It's very easy to upgrade from one version to another, especially after the developers implemented Tails Upgrader, which does all the necessary actions through Tor.
“After starting Tails and connecting to Tor, Tails Upgrader automatically checks if upgrades are available and then proposes you to upgrade your device. The upgrades are checked for and downloaded through Tor,” reads the official website.
There are a few advantages to the upgrade process. The developers have explained that users only need a single Tails device, the upgrade is much smaller than the new image, and the upgrade mechanism includes cryptographic verification of the upgrade.
As with every version of Tails, one of the main concerns of the developers is to upgrade the web browser with the latest patches available, which is now at version 24.4.0esr-0+tails1~bpo60+1 (Firefox 24.4.0esr + Iceweasel patches + Torbrowser patches).
A few major features have been added to the new stable release of Tails, but they have been initially promoted in the development versions. The network interface's MAC address is now being spoofed by default, and this option can be disabled from the Tails Greeter.
Also, the way to configure how Tor connects to the network by using bridges, proxies, and restrictive firewalls has been reworked. This particular option can be found in the Tails Greeter and replaces the old experimental “bridge mode” option.
Other smaller changes have been implemented. For example, Pidgin has been updated to version 2.10.9, the Intel Management Engine Interface driver has been disabled, a launcher for the Tails documentation has been added, and the obsolete wikileaks.de account has been removed from Pidgin.
A complete changelog can be found in the official announcement. Download Tails 0.23 right now from Softpedia.