Virtual Environments: Admin Workstation

SecureDrop uses Tails for the Admin Workstation environment. In order to perform a fully virtualized production install, you will need to first set up Tails in a virtual machine.

Note

For the instructions that follow, you need to download the most recent Tails ISO from the Tails website.

macOS

For the macOS instructions, you will use VirtualBox to create a Tails VM that you can use to install SecureDrop on app-prod and mon-prod.

Create a VirtualBox VM

1. Open VirtualBox
2. Click New to create a new VM with the following options:
   • Name: “Admin Workstation”
   • Type: “Linux”
   • Version: “Debian (64-bit)”

Note

You may call the VM a different name, but you must replace “Admin Workstation” later on in these instructions with the name you select.

3. Click Continue.
4. At the prompt, configure at least 2048 MB of RAM. Click Continue.
5. Leave the default Create a virtual hard disk now selected and click Create. All the default options (Hard disk file type: VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image) and Dynamically allocated) are fine. Click Create.

Booting Tails

Now that the VM is set up, you are ready to boot to Tails. Select the new VM in the VirtualBox sidebar, and click Settings.

1. Click Storage.

2. Click Empty under Controller: IDE.

3. Click the CD icon next to Optical Drive: and click Choose Virtual Optical Disk File.

4. Navigate to the Tails ISO to boot from.

5. Click General then Advanced.

6. Under Shared Clipboard select Bidirectional instead of Disabled. This option will enable you to transfer text from your host to the Tails VM, which we will use later on in these steps.

   Note

   Alternatively you can open these docs in Tor Browser in Tails. This will obviate the need to copy and paste between the guest and host OS.

Install Tails

Next you will install Tails onto the Virtual Hard Disk Image. Start the VM, boot to Tails, and enter an administration password and start Tails.

Note

For all the instructions that follow, you will need to configure an administration password each time you boot Tails.

1. Copy the following patch and save it as installer.patch in a folder in your Tails VM:

--- /usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/tails_installer/creator.py      2018-01-22 14:59:40.000000000 +0100
+++ /usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/tails_installer/creator.py.mod  2018-03-05 05:15:00.000000000 -0800
@@ -595,16 +595,6 @@ class LinuxTailsInstallerCreator(TailsInstallerCreator):
                 self.log.debug('Skipping non-removable device: %s'
                                % data['device'])

-            # Only pay attention to USB and SDIO devices, unless --force'd
-            iface = drive.props.connection_bus
-            if iface != 'usb' and iface != 'sdio' \
-               and self.opts.force != data['device']:
-                self.log.warning(
-                    "Skipping device '%(device)s' connected to '%(interface)s' interface"
-                    % {'device': data['udi'], 'interface': iface}
-                )
-                continue
-
             # Skip optical drives
             if data['is_optical'] and self.opts.force != data['device']:
                 self.log.debug('Skipping optical device: %s' % data['device'])
--- /usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/tails_installer/gui.py      2018-01-22 14:59:40.000000000 +0100
+++ /usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/tails_installer/gui.py.mod  2018-03-05 05:15:00.000000000 -0800
@@ -568,16 +568,6 @@ class TailsInstallerWindow(Gtk.ApplicationWindow):
                     self.devices_with_persistence.append(info['parent'])
                     continue
                 pretty_name = self.get_device_pretty_name(info)
-                # Skip devices with non-removable bit enabled
-                if not info['removable']:
-                    message =_('The USB stick "%(pretty_name)s"'
-                               ' is configured as non-removable by its'
-                               ' manufacturer and Tails will fail to start on it.'
-                               ' Please try installing on a different model.') % {
-                               'pretty_name':  pretty_name
-                               }
-                    self.status(message)
-                    continue
                 # Skip too small devices, but inform the user
                 if not info['is_device_big_enough_for_installation']:
                     message =_('The device "%(pretty_name)s"'

2. Now run the following two commands in a Terminal in your Tails VM:

sudo patch -p0 -d/ < installer.patch
sudo /usr/bin/python -tt /usr/bin/tails-installer -u -n --clone -P -m -x

3. The Tails Installer will appear. Click Install Tails.
4. Once complete, navigate to Applications, Utilities and open Disks.
5. Click on the disk named “Tails” and click the Play icon to mount the disk.
6. Next open /media/amnesia/Tails/syslinux/live*.cfg and delete all instances of live-media=removable.
7. Shut down the VM.

Boot to Tails Hard Drive Install

Now we will remove the CD and boot to the Tails we just installed on our virtual hard drive. From macOS you should:

1. Click the VM in the sidebar of VirtualBox and click Settings.
2. Click Storage and select the Tails .iso under Controller: IDE.
3. Click the CD icon, then Remove Disk from Virtual Drive.
4. Click Ok.
5. Start the VM.

Configure Persistence

Now in your booted Tails VM you should:

1. Configure an admin password when prompted.
2. Copy the following patch to the Tails VM and save it as persistence.patch:

--- /usr/share/perl5/Tails/Persistence/Setup.pm      2017-06-30 09:56:25.000000000 +0000
+++ /usr/share/perl5/Tails/Persistence/Setup.pm.mod  2017-07-20 07:17:48.472000000 +0000
@@ -404,19 +404,6 @@

     my @checks = (
         {
-            method  => 'drive_is_connected_via_a_supported_interface',
-            message => $self->encoding->decode(gettext(
-                "Tails is running from non-USB / non-SDIO device %s.")),
-            needs_drive_arg => 1,
-        },
-        {
-            method  => 'drive_is_optical',
-            message => $self->encoding->decode(gettext(
-                "Device %s is optical.")),
-            must_be_false    => 1,
-            needs_drive_arg => 1,
-        },
-        {
             method  => 'started_from_device_installed_with_tails_installer',
             message => $self->encoding->decode(gettext(
                 "Device %s was not created using Tails Installer.")),

3. To apply the patch, from the Terminal run:

sudo patch -p0 -d/ < persistence.patch

4. Navigate to Applications then Tails and click Configure persistent volume. Configure a persistent volume enabling all persistence options.

Shared Folders

1. In macOS, click on the Tails VM in VirtualBox and then go to Settings.
2. Click on Shared Folders and click the button on the right hand side to add the folder. Navigate to the location of the SecureDrop repository on your local machine. Check Auto-mount. Do not check Read-only.
3. Now reboot your Tails VM, decrypt the Persistent volume, and run the following commands in a Terminal in Tails:

mkdir ~/Persistent/securedrop
echo 'if [ ! -d ~/Persistent/securedrop/install_files ]; then sudo mount -t vboxsf -o uid=$UID,gid=$(id -g) securedrop ~/Persistent/securedrop; fi' >> /live/persistence/TailsData_unlocked/dotfiles/.bashrc

The first time you open a Terminal in that session you will be prompted for your sudo password and the shared folder will be mounted. Each time you open a Terminal thereafter in the Tails session, your sudo password will not be needed.

Allow the Guest to Create Symlinks

Finally, you’ll need to allow the guest to create symlinks, which are disabled by default in VirtualBox.

Shut down the Tails VM, and in your host run:

VBoxManage setextradata "Admin Workstation" VBoxInternal2/SharedFoldersEnableSymlinksCreate/securedrop 1

Note

If you named your Tails VM something other than “Admin Workstation”, you can run VBoxManage list vms to get the name of the Virtual Machine.

Finally, restart VirtualBox.

Configure Networking

In order to communicate with the server VMs, you’ll need to attach this virtualized Admin Workstation to the securedrop network.

Warning

If you named the SecureDrop repository something other than securedrop, you should connect your VM to the network of the same name.

With the Admin Workstation VM turned off, you should:

1. Click on the VM in VirtualBox.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Network and then Adapter 2.
4. Enable this network adapter and attach it to the Internal Network called securedrop.
5. Click OK and start the VM.

Now you should be able to boot to Tails, decrypt the Persistent volume, navigate to ~/Persistent/securedrop and proceed with the production install.

Disable Shared Clipboard (Optional)

1. Click on the VM in VirtualBox.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click General and then Advanced.
4. Now that you are finished with copy pasting the patches above you can change the Shared Clipboard from Bidirectional back to Disabled.

Linux

For the Linux instructions, you will use KVM/libvirt to create a Tails VM that you can use to install SecureDrop on app-prod and mon-prod.

Create a VM using virt-manager

Follow the Tails virt-manager instructions for running Tails from a USB image. Then proceed with booting to the USB drive, and configure Persistent Storage.

We recommend cloning the SecureDrop repository into the persistent volume for testing and development, instead of attempting to mount a folder from the host operating system.