Operating systems, web browsers, and even our Internet provider are constantly monitoring our activity. The companies behind it often collect usage information, sometimes anonymous and sometimes less, which are used both for product improvement and for commercial purposes. Achieving maximum privacy today is very complicated. However, there are operating systems, such as Kodachi, that are focused on this purpose.
Kodachi is a Linux distribution , based on Xubuntu LTS, whose main objective is to offer users a secure environment, protected against forensic and anonymous analysis through which they can connect to the Internet with the maximum possible security and privacy.
Kodachi Features
One of the fundamental pillars of this Linux distro is its ease of use. From the moment we start the distro for the first time (from a Live USB, for example) we already have the system fully functional and securely configured. This connects through a VPN network to the Internet, forwarded by Tor and with services such as DNSCrypt so that anonymity is maximum without having to be aware of any configuration.
From the first moment we connect to the Internet, all connections are protected, achieving a high level of anonymity. All connections are sent through the VPN and, from it, to the Tor network, making it impossible to trace or identify. It also has advanced cryptographic systems to encrypt files, emails and instant messages.
All this distro runs directly from the RAM memory, so when we turn off the computer all the generated data disappears, leaving no trace on the computer.
Kodachi vs Tails
When we talk about a distro for anonymity, one of the best known is Tails. However, this is not the only one, and as we will see, it is not the best nor the most complete in terms of functions and features included by default.
Both distros are prepared to work through Onion Circuits , can generate random MAC addresses , have a secure web browser and securely erase RAM memory when shutting down the system.
However, from this point on, Kodachi has a number of additional features that take the security and privacy of this distro to a new level:
- Support for various VPN providers or any of your own.
- I2P.
- GNUNET.
- Various cryptocurrency wallets (Exudos, Jaxx, Mymonero, Electrom).
- DNSCrypt.
- Multiple Tor outputs.
- Multiple DNS.
- Stacer to tune Linux.
- Rkhunter service.
- Syncthing.
- Advanced functions for erasing and cleaning RAM.
- Security programs (Bleachbit, Nautilus-wipe, KeepassXC, Seahorse, Gpa, Gnupg2, Enigmail, ufw, gufw, firejail).
- Many additional utilities, such as Transmission, Atom, Geany, FileZilla, Terminator, Htop, Nmap, etc.
Finally, we cannot overlook his ” Panic Room “, or “panic room”. If something goes wrong and our Internet security, privacy or anonymity is compromised, here we will find everything necessary to perform an emergency erase of the hard disk, clean RAM and completely destroy Kodachi. After using these tools, it will be impossible to carry out any type of forensic analysis of the system or find a single byte about us. Even if we have Kodachi installed on the hard drive, we can use this tool to reinstall it from the same Live image, cleaning up all past traces and leaving it as if nothing had happened.
When to use anonymous Linux
It would be rare to use such a distro on a day to day basis. It is more advisable to assume that large Internet companies are going to spy on us when we surf the net rather than assume the limitations of this type of system. However, if we want to always be anonymous, we can use it without problem on our computer or laptop .
Where this system gains utility is when using computers that are not personal and that are normally used by other people. For example, a computer at work, a public computer in a café-bar or computers at a college or university.
It is also very useful when we want to make queries on the network without leaving a trace , or when we travel, since if someone steals our computer, they will have access to absolutely nothing.
Download Kodachi
This distro is completely free for anyone who wants to take their privacy to a new level. To use it, all we have to do is access its main website and download the official ISO that we can find there. We recommend downloading this image exclusively from its website, since if we download it from other sources we may be downloading a modified ISO and jeopardizing all our anonymity.
Once the ISO image is downloaded we can use it as we want. If we are going to start the computer from a DVD (slower, not recommended) we can burn it to a DVD without problems. It is recommended to burn the ISO to a USB with programs like Rufus and use this USB to start the computer.
We can also use Kodachi’s ISO to boot a virtual machine and test first-hand how this anonymous Linux distro works.
Minimum requirements
Its developers do not specify any minimum requirements to use this distro. But if we want it to work well and we do not want to have any operating or performance problems, it is recommended to have at least 1 GB of RAM and a 1 GHz CPU, yes, 64 bits. It can work with less, as the XFCE desktop consumes very few resources, but it can be maddening.
To install this distro on the hard disk or a USB memory it is recommended to have at least 10 GB of free space, although it is much better to ensure proper operation with a 32 GB USB memory.
