Installing VirtualBox

1. First, go to the following URL: http://www.virtualbox.org

 

2. Select "Downloads" in the menu on the left.

 

3. Under "VirtualBox platform packages" is "VirtualBox 4.0.4 for Windows Hosts", next to that is "x86/amd64". Click that.

 

4. Save the file. It should be titled similar to: "VirtualBox-4.0.4-7011-Win.exe

 

5. Run the file.

 

6. "Welcome to the Oracle VM... Setup Wizard", Click "Next"

 

7. click "Next"

 

8. Click "Next"

 

9. "Warning: Network Interfaces", click "Yes" but be aware that your internet connection will be temporarily reset for a few seconds.

 

10. Click "Install"

 

11. A dialog saying "A program needs your permission to continue" may appear, click "Continue".

 

12. One or more dialogs asking if you want to install "device software" may come up, select "Install" each time.

 

13. Optionally check the box "Always trust software from Oracle Corporation."

 

14. "Oracle VM... installation is complete", Click "Finish" ensuring that "Start Oracle VM after installation" is checked.

 

Now we have the software we need in order to set up and run virtual machines. On your task bar to the far right, you should notice VirtualBox running. Click on the "VirtualBox" icon if needed in order to bring the VirtualBox control panel into view.

 

Now it is time to set up a virtual machine. For this, we need to obtain two files. Operating systems, such as windows, are typically installed using a cd or dvd. You put the cd or dvd into your computer, you boot it up, and you follow the instructions in order to install the operating system. Virtual machines

work similarly. Before we can use a virtual machine, we have to install an operating system on it.

 

However, we are *NOT* going to use Windows! We are going to use Linux. Do not be afraid if you have no experience using Linux. I assure you that this will prove to be painless. We actually need two different linux operating systems in order to have a secure system. Before we go through the steps of setting this up, I want to describe to you what we are doing.

 

Remember earlier in the guide I explained that one of the downsides to using Tor Browser from your main computer is that you might accidentally put a link into a non-Tor browser. The problem with your computer right now is that you can access tor sites, or non-tor sites equally well. That means that you have to be extremely careful to ensure that you are using Tor.

 

An analogy would be to say that you are typing on a keyboard with red and green keys. You have to be careful to only hit the green keys. If you accidentally hit a red key, then you could compromise your security and anonymity. That is *not* a good position to be in. The purpose of setting up a virtual machine is to make certain that you cannot accidentally reveal your identity or compromise your security.

 

The computer you are using now has two ways of accessing the internet: TOR, and Non-TOR. The virtualmachine we are setting up however will only be able to access the internet using TOR. No other way period. That means that no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, you will NOT be able to accidentally access any website except through TOR. This *guarantees* that whatever you do on that virtual machine is going to be through TOR.

 

So how do we achieve this? There are a number of ways to do so. The method presented in this guide is not the only good way, however I do believe that it is both easy to set up and also friendly to users who may not have a great deal of RAM.

 

First, we are going to set up two different virtual machines. One of them will exist for the sole purpose of making sure that the other one does not accidentally connect to the internet except through TOR. This virtual machine requires very little. You will not be using it for anything. It will simply act as a gatekeeper to ensure that the other Virtual Machine is safe.

 

The second virtual machine will be what you use for internet browsing, chatting, etc. This virtual machine will be configured in such a way that it can only use TOR and nothing else. The way we will achieve this is to force this second virtual machine to go through the first virtual machine for all internet connections.

 

Do not worry if this seems complicated. As with the rest of this guide, I am going to walk you through step by step exactly what to do.

 

First, we have to obtain the operating systems we will need. In this case, we are going to use "Damn Small Linux" (yes that is it's real name) for the firewall and we are going to use "Ubuntu" for the main system. The advantage to using "Damn Small Linux" is that we only need 32 MB of ram and no disk space to have an effective firewall.