Tails 6.4 Distribution Released
The specialized Linux distribution Tails 6.4 (The Amnesic Incognito Live System) has been released. Based on Debian 12, Tails comes with the GNOME 43 desktop environment and is designed for anonymous internet access. Tails ensures anonymity by routing all connections through the Tor network. By default, all non-Tor traffic is blocked by a packet filter. User data persistence between sessions is protected with encryption.
The new release is available as a 1 GB ISO image that can run in Live mode.
What’s New in Tails 6.4
- Improved Entropy for Cryptography: Tails 6.4 now saves a random seed value on the USB drive (in free sectors outside the persistent storage). This seed is used to initialize the entropy pool for the pseudo-random number generator early in the boot process, when there may not be enough entropy sources available. This helps ensure high-quality random numbers for cryptographic needs and reduces delays caused by entropy accumulation. The saved random value from the previous session helps supplement entropy during the next boot.
- APT Repository Access via HTTPS: The system now uses HTTPS addresses instead of onion addresses to access Debian and Tails APT repositories. This change improves the reliability of automatically installing user-selected Additional Software when Tails starts.
- Persistent Storage Fixes: Issues with unlocking the persistent storage area for user data have been resolved.
- Thunderbird PDF Reader Restored: The built-in PDF reader in Thunderbird, which was disabled in the previous release, has been re-enabled.
- Software Updates: Updated versions include Tor Browser 13.0.16, Tor 0.4.8.12, and Thunderbird 115.12.0.
For more details, visit the official Tails website.