Prométhée, a solution for secured nomadism on pendrive
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# Prométhée Readme
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A. The most important
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As soon as you boot the first time "Prométhée", change the default password for the encrypted "Data" folder.
After booting, look on the desktop after a shortcut named "Change Password (encrypted folder)" (it is a red cross icon); enter the current password "bigbrother" (without quotes), and enter twice your personal password. You can safely delete the shortcut; another shortcut can be found in the slax menu.
This step is very important! Don't bypass it.
B. What is the Prométhée Project?
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The censorship becomes stronger every time. Google, Yahoo, Microsoft are some of the main companies which represent a threat to freedom of speach.
Are you a journalist? A blogger? Are you willing to share some sensitive data?
Are you nomad? Do you travel a lot? Do you need to carry with your virtual life (pictures, videos, letters)?
Either your mobility and security need will be fill in with this project. Prométhée aims also to fulfill the basics needs for writing and image/video editing, and to secure your transmissions (web, email) and your data saved on your USB key.
Prométhée is meant to be saved on a USB key, weight less than 1 Go; thus, you need a quite big key. Unlike other USB keys, Prométhée is big; but unlike other key, Prométhée can be use on a Windows operating system, can be booted to have a brand new operating system (Slax), and the whole is secured.
C. How does it works?
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The ISO file you download is divided into two parts: a windows part, and a gnu/linux part.
One may not see the differences between theses parts, except the root folders are named respectively "boot", "slax" and "windows". The first two are meant to be used when booting a brand new Operating system (OS), Slax, and the last one is intended to be used when you already run a windows OS.
Please note the windows part is much more insecure than the linux part. No sensitive data should be saved when using windows tools.
D. Installation
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This ISO file can be burned on a DVD. However, the advantages are really experienced when copying to an USB key. Burn this ISO file to a DVD, and then copy all files to your USB key. Or if you have the knowledge to do so, mount the ISO file, and copy the files inside directly to your USB key.
1. Slax part
- to use the Slax part, boot using the USB key itself. If the computer is too old to handle booting via an USB key, burn the file located at
boot/slax-boot-usb-from-cd-6.0.7.iso
to a CD and boot using that very CD. You'll be asked to put the USB key to the PC.
2. Windows part
- to use the Windows part, look into "windows" directory. You'll find programs for web browsing (Firefox), email sending (Thunderbird), chating (Pidgin), and many more. These programs are "portable", which means they doesn't let any trail of their use, since everything you do is saved on the USB key. However, these saved data can be read if somebody who finds your key really want to.
C. Notes regarding softwares
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Many programs are included in both the Slax part and in the windows one. That is true for Thunderbird, Firefox, Pidgin, Filezilla, Skype, Keepass, Stardict. But on the Slax side, the personnal datas are saved into a crypted folder; without the right password, no one could look through what you wrote, read, whom you have a chat.
1. The applications
FIREFOX aims to provide you an anonymous web browsing. Nobody can knows what website you have visited. It uses "Tor" technology (http://www.torproject.org), which provides you proxies to hide your footprints on the web.
On the windows part, you have both a secured ("Firefox 1. Anonymous" folder) and insecured ("Firefox 2. Non-anonymous" folder) flavour. The first is anonymoused, but very slow; the second one, unanonymoused, but as quick as your connection is. On the slax part, Firefox is secured, and its data are stored into a crypted folder ("Data"). When launching Firefox for the first time, it is asked you to give the password (look at section A). Thus, Firefox browsing is undetectable, but also your data collected (websites favorites and passwords). You can safely store your preferences. A few websites adresses related to security (FAQs, anonymous email websites) are already stored.
THUNDERBIRD aims to be the most convenient application to send emails. However, it can hardly be secured, even on Slax. You have two options: first, to use a GPG (stands for GNU Privacy Guard, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Privacy_Guard) cryptographic tools, named Enigmail. It is included into Thunderbird, but it is quite hard to understand. However, this way is very secure, at least on the Slax part (since the keys may be saved on a crypted folder). The second option is to use a temporary webmail (email on a website) instead; with Firefox, which provides anonymous communications, you could use a webmail services. Some are already at your disposal as Firefox favorites. On Slax, when launching Thunderbird for the first time, it is asked you to give the password (look at section A).
PIDGIN aims to be a complete chating tool. One may talk on a yahoo network, as well as on MSN, ICQ, AIM, XMPP/Jabber, GoogleTalk, IRC and so on. The communication is again secured, no one could know where you're talking from. However, again, be careful with your history log on windows, do not activate the log saving option on windows, since it could be read later.
EKIGA (only on Windows part) aims to provide you an easy way to call using the internet. It is by far cheaper than the usual way, and a bit more secure. This program is not secured. It uses the VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VoIP) standard, which means the recipient doesn't need any computer.
SKYPE aims also to provide a way to get on the phone to people, but the recipient has to have a Skype account. Skype also allows VOIP calls, but they are more expensive than using Ekiga, and chiefly, this company is known to be not reliable. Sensitive calls should be made through Ekiga. This program is secured on Slax.
CLAIMWIN is a free antivirus tool. Since Slax, as a gnu/linux OS, cannot be threatened by any virus, there is no antivirus program on Slax.
KEEPASS (KEEPASSX on Slax) aims to store your private passwords.
7ZIP (Windows only) aims to manage compressed files. Unneeded on Slax, as tools to manage compressed formats are already included.
STARDICT is an amazing dictionary program, which can contains much more dictionary files than included by default. Please look at http://stardict.sourceforge.net Very helpful to check a word in your language, to translate form a language to another one.
FILEZILLA aims to allow FTP (File Transfer Protocol) sharing on internet. This program is not secured.
For you convenience, a specific windows tool is added: vidalia-bundle-0.1.2.19-0.0.16.exe, which will install on windows a complete Tor (look at Firefox section) suite. It is not very difficult to set up (http://vidalia-project.net), but require that you modify the host machine.
Last but not least, on windows, you can launch a tool (click on start.exe at root folder) which will automatically start the programs related to the file you want to open. When selecting a text file, it will start SciTE (windows\SciTE\PortableSciTE.exe) directly from USB key; this way, you won't let any footprint at all.
D. FAQs
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1. Why are the internet applications so slow?
That's the way the anonymous tool (that is, Tor) works. You have to choose between security and speed. On windows, you may start Firefox unsecured to speed up the browsing; on Slax, unactivate the Tor tool (click on Tor icon, low right). Note than anyone could now track you.
E. History
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v. 0.1 first release
F. Credits
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Since this project is free software, is has to be seen as a collaborative work. Many people should be thanked, that's the way open source works. And only a few will, that's also the way open source works.
First, Thomas M is the Slax's author (http://www.slax.org). It means Prométhée would have never happened without him. Thanks also to the Slax's community, which developped so many plugins.
Some graphical works come from http://www.linux-look.be and http://www.kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=11231
Portable programs for windows come from framakey (http://www.framakey.org) and portableapps (http://portableapps.com/)
G. GNU Licence
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Copyright (C) 2008 Prométhée group
This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
Please check the complete licence reading "GNU licence.txt"
Copyleft 2008 Prométhée Group