Tails 5.8 introduces improved persistent storage and Wayland support

Developers of The Amnesic Incognito Live System project release Tails 5.8, claiming to be the most significant release of the privacy-focused operating system in years. In addition to new features, the Linux distribution would also be provided with security updates.

For example, the Tails project has redesigned the Persistent Storage feature, a process that in their own words took two years. With Tails 5.8, users can once again permanently store encrypted information on a Tails USB stick, but no longer have to reboot the system every time they create a Persistent Storage folder or select new functions. Persistent storage is important to Tails, as virtually all data is deleted after closing the Debian-based operating system. The developers report that information such as browser settings and Wi-Fi passwords can be stored more easily and permanently with the Persistent Storage redesign.

Furthermore, the developers are replacing the X.Org display system with the Wayland protocol. This would have fixed certain vulnerabilities, including when using the Unsafe Browser. This browser now also supports sound, uploads and downloads and alternative input options with non-Latin letters. This ‘unsafe’ browser also supports some accessibility features. Finally, starting with Tails 5.8, users can add Tor bridges with relative ease via queryable QR codes.

Tails is a Linux distribution that is fully equipped for security, anonymity and privacy. The operating system is usually installed on encrypted USB sticks or in virtual machines and uses the Tor network by default. The developers therefore work together with the group behind The Onion Router.