Resources for the global digital safety training community.
Credits
Last Updated 2015-05Participants learn how to download Tails, confirm the authenticity of the Tails .iso file (the original file that must be downloaded from the Tails website), install Tails on external media, and create a new Tails USB stick or DVD from an existing Tails installation.
You can find this here: https://tails.boum.org/download/index.en.html#download_iso; this file is quite large and may take awhile to download.
Distribute either the blank DVDs or USB flash drives, and the pre-downloaded Tails .iso images, to the group. Begin by explaining that Tails, as a live operating system, can be run from an external media device - however, in order for this to work properly, dragging and dropping Tails like regular file won’t work.
If you’re working with DVDs, the Tails image must be burned to the DVD; if you’re using USB flash drives, the image must be installed on the drive using a third-party application such as Universal USB Installer).
It is important that any USBs or DVDs used during these exercises be blank, or at the very least contain no information that is not backed up elsewhere.
Installing Tails on a media device deletes all data on that device; however, this deletion is not 100% secure and can potentially be recovered.
Walk participants through the relevant installation process(es) for the external media provided and their computer’s operating system:
If there is internet connectivity, you can guide participants through the online Tails Installation Assistant.
Once this has been done, ask everyone to click Burn and wait for the process to complete.
Once burning is complete, the data will be verified to ensure that the burning process completed correctly.
Distribute blank USB flash drives to the group, and have everyone insert them into their computer’s USB port.
Have participants download and install Universal USB Installer, ensuring that they are downloading and installing version 1.9.5.4 or later. Mention to the group that this application will allow them to properly install and mount the Tails .iso so they can be run directly from their USB drives - dragging and dropping the .iso like a normal file won’t allow for this.
Once the installation process has completed, have participants launch Universal USB Installer and then complete the following:
the first screen will prompt users to select a Linux Distribution from a dropdown; Tails will appear in this list (probably as T(A)ILS), which should be selected.
the application will prompt users to select an applicable .iso; everyone should use Browse to locate the Tails .iso on their computer and Open it.
users will be asked for a USB drive to be selected; everyone should select the drive containing their blank USB from the dropdown.
Once the above steps have been completed, have participants click Create to format the USB drive and mount the Tails disc image, allowing it to be booted directly from USB. Once the process has been completed, have the group safely eject their formatted USBs.
These steps are also outlined, with helpful screenshots, on the Tails website.
Now that participants each have a DVD or USB with Tails properly mounted and configured, walk through the process of launching Tails for the first time.
While a computer has an operating system (likely Windows or Mac OS X) installed on the hard drive, that boots every time you start your device, you can actually boot into another operating system using specially configured “live” USB memory sticks or DVDs that you plug into this same device.
Sometimes, computers require a little help before they are able to boot an operating system from a USB drive or DVD. Windows and Linux computers may need the user to access the BIOS or Boot Menu when starting up; Apple computers will require the user to press the shortcut key to enter the Startup Manager at boot.
Because many manufacturers make Windows PCs (and several models, as well), it’s not possible to provide one set of instructions that applies to all variations. In many cases, the manufacturer will explicitly say which key to press during the boot process on the splash screen – the very first screen with the company’s logo. However, if that is not the case for some participants, they should be able to find instructions for their specific make and model on the manufacturer’s website.
There are also a handful of websites that try to provide a comprehensive list for many manufacturers, such as CraftedFlash.
If for some reason the USB stick is not visible in the Boot Menu, trainers may need to help participants access the BIOS on their PC to enable USB booting. The method for accessing a PC’s BIOS is as varied as PCs themselves, and trainers should consult the manufacturer’s website.
Turn off computer, and insert Tails USB/DVD once it has completely shut down - then:
Once in BIOS, navigate through the settings to find Boot order, Boot settings, or similar - then:
After 5 seconds, Tails will automatically boot normally; once loading has completed, you will find yourself on the Tails Greeter page.
Windows 8.x (8.1 or later versions) users may need to disable Fast Boot to access the device’s BIOS:
Once in BIOS, navigate through the settings to find Boot order, Boot settings, or similar - then:
You may also need to Disable Secure Boot, Disable UEFI, or Enable BIOS Legacy for the computer to successfully boot from the USB/DVD. Try to reboot at least once without changing these settings.
While in the BIOS, you may wish to point out to participants that they can set passwords to prevent tampering in the future. Of course, password settings should not be enabled unless the participant is using their own equipment.
Some versions of Mac computers have known issues with booting from Tails USB/DVDs - please see the following list on the Tails website.
Turn off computer, and insert Tails USB/DVD once it has completely shut down - then:
After 5 seconds, Tails will automatically boot normally; once loading has completed, you will find yourself on the Tails Greeter page.
Once participants successfully boot into Tails from their live devices, review the User Interface and location of key features before proceeding. Some topline interface features and menu to highlight for the group include:
An overview of the basic Tails desktop user interface can be found on the Tails website
Participants will create a new Tails USB from their existing installation. This exercise will make use of Tails Installer, an application available only within Tails that allows for an easier method of formatting and installing on USB drives or SD cards - this process is known as cloning.
Creating persistent volumes is covered in the Storing Confidential Information in Tails Deepening section.
Remember that any USB drive onto which Tails will be installed requires at least 2GB of free space, or 4GB if you plan to create a persistent volume within Tails on that device. Any data on the device onto which Tails is being installed will be deleted.
If participants are not still booted into Tails from the previous steps, have everyone re-launch and pause when they arrive at the Tails desktop. From the Tails Desktop, direct the group towards the Applications menu in the upper-left hand corner.
Tails can now be launched from this new USB drive once installation completes. Persistent volumes can only be created on Tails installations cloned using Tails Installer; any persistent volumes within installations of Tails being cloned to other devices will not be copied.