Securonis Linux Wiki
Securonis GNU/Linux Debian Based Privacy Focused Operation System
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FAQ
Securonis Linux – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
🔹 What is Securonis?
Securonis is a GNU/Linux distribution that aims to combine privacy and security for everyday use. It does not aim to provide the same level of advanced anonymity as Tails or Whonix, nor the high security level of Kicksecure or Qubes. The goal of Securonis is to offer a solution for regular users who want to browse the internet free from tracking and advertising in their daily lives.
🔹 Why is it based on Debian Trixie?
Debian Trixie (Testing) receives frequent updates, helping to quickly patch potential security vulnerabilities. While this comes at the cost of some stability, staying up to date is more important for a privacy- and security-focused distribution.
🔹 What is the default desktop environment? Why did you choose MATE?
The default desktop environment is MATE.
It’s lightweight and consumes minimal system resources.
It has an attractive, user-friendly interface and is highly customizable.
I’ve used GhostBSD and Parrot for a long time, so I’m familiar with MATE and have experience customizing it.
🔹 What is Securonis Data Destroyer?
Securonis Data Destroyer is a simple tool that securely deletes files by overwriting them multiple times and then renaming them before removal.
It can be thought of as a graphical (GUI) version of the shred command.
🔹 What is FireScorpion Browser?
FireScorpion Browser is not a separate browser or a browser fork.
It’s a hardened configuration of Firefox achieved through customized user.js, policies.json, and various scripts.
It blocks many tracking mechanisms and offers protection against certain attacks.
Firefox ESR is used as the base.
🔹 Is Securonis open source?
Yes, Securonis is fully open source.
All code is publicly available on GitHub.
Even older releases can be found there.
If you don’t trust the prebuilt ISO images, you can use live-build to build Securonis yourself from source code and even create your own custom spin.
🔹 Does Securonis have its own repositories? How does it receive updates?
No, Securonis does not have its own software repositories.
All updates come from Debian Trixie’s official repositories.
Securonis-specific tools are bundled within the ISO. These tools are not large-scale applications; they’re mostly mid-level Python or Shell scripts.
If any of these tools contain bugs, fixes are released in the next ISO version.
🔹 Who is Root0emir, and why is there so little information about him?
For privacy reasons, I choose to keep personal details about myself limited.
Root0emir is a high school student with a deep interest in technology.
I’m a high school student and I’m studying software development.
I’ve developed significant skills in Linux and cybersecurity and continue to expand my knowledge.
I focus mainly on network security, Linux server administration, and BSD systems.
In daily life, I actively use Linux and BSD operating systems.
My programming knowledge includes: advanced Python, Shell, Ansible; intermediate HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL; and basic knowledge of C#, Java, and Go.
🔹 How did the Securonis project begin?
Securonis started after my Arch-based USB distribution was not accepted in a project competition. Motivated by this, I began developing Securonis with determination. My original goal was to have the distribution listed on DistroWatch.
🔹 Has Securonis undergone an independent security audit?
No, not yet.
Securonis does not have its own software repositories; it relies on Debian Trixie’s official repositories for system updates.
The distribution consists of a moderately hardened Debian base along with some custom Python and Shell tools developed specifically for Securonis.
🔹 Is Securonis as secure as Tails, Whonix, or Qubes?
No.
Securonis does not provide the same level of advanced anonymity as Tails or Whonix.
It is not as secure as Qubes.
It is unsuitable for users with a high-threat model.
Securonis is designed for regular users seeking a safer, more privacy-friendly daily computing experience. It’s more similar to Septor and other mid-level privacy distributions.
If you have a high threat model, I do not recommend using Securonis.
🔹 Why is the Securonis documentation incomplete?
Because I’m the sole developer behind Securonis, I handle multiple responsibilities, including:
developing the system itself,
writing custom tools,
maintaining the website,
managing the community, and
providing user support.
As a result, some documentation areas may still be lacking. However, I’m continuously working to expand and improve it.
If you’re interested in Securonis, contributions in documentation, testing, or development are always welcome!
🔹 Is Seconionis a fork of Torctl?
No, Seconionis is not simply a fork of Torctl.
While it uses Torctl as a foundation, Seconionis V2 includes many significant changes.
Specifically:
It implements stricter iptables rules.
It adds extra sysctl and routing configurations to prevent traffic leaks outside of Tor.
Its systemd services have been rewritten from scratch.
It has a brand-new user interface.
New features have been developed beyond Torctl’s scope.
🔹 Why have there been many frequent major updates recently?
Securonis is still in active development, with many features and improvements being worked on continuously. As I identify issues or opportunities to enhance the system, I release updates often to provide a better and more stable experience.
Frequent major updates are normal for projects that are evolving quickly and aiming for higher stability and functionality.
🔹 Who is Securonis suitable for—and who is it not?
Securonis is suitable for:
✅ Users who care about privacy and security but don’t want a restrictive system for daily use.
✅ People who want to browse the internet without ads or tracking.
✅ Users looking for both security and privacy without significant usability sacrifices.
✅ Those who prefer a simple, minimalistic distribution.
Securonis is NOT suitable for:
❌ Users who are completely new to Linux.
❌ Users with a high-threat model (e.g. potential surveillance by state actors).
❌ People looking to bypass censorship using Tor bridges (Securonis does not offer bridge configuration).
❌ Users seeking advanced anonymity on the Dark Web (Tails or Whonix would be more appropriate).
🔹 Is Securonis related to Securonix?
No, Securonis has no connection to Securonix.
In the earliest versions, when the project was Arch-based, its name was Portal OS, but that name was too common. I wanted something more unique.
When I restarted the project on a Debian base, I tried the name Pxrtal OS, but the pronunciation was too confusing.
Finally, I chose the name Securonis, inspired by the words Security and Onion, and because it sounded catchy.
The Tor routing tool is named Seconionis because it rhymes with Securonis. This is intentional and not a typo.
🔹 Why are you developing Securonis alone?
Despite my efforts, I have not yet found volunteers to help.
Contributions for documentation, testing, or code development would be greatly appreciated.
The project is fully open-source and completely open to contributions.
🔹 Why is the Securonis repository structure complex, and why are there empty repositories?
There are several tools I’ve planned to develop but haven’t started yet. I don’t want Securonis to consist only of simple Python tools. I’m also working on larger projects, like a YARA-based antivirus solution and a custom torrent client for Securonis.
Additionally, you may find repositories in the Securonis GitHub account for software that isn’t included in the current Securonis distro. That’s because I don’t want Securonis to be just a distribution—I’d like the tools and technologies developed for Securonis to also be usable in other Linux distributions.
There are also projects I started but didn’t have time to finish, so I keep them on GitHub in case someone else wants to fork and continue developing them. For example, LeakShield Kernel Patches was a project focused on preventing kernel memory leaks. However, I didn’t have enough time to integrate it into Securonis. Maybe one day someone else will pick it up and continue the work.
🔹 Is there a roadmap for Securonis?
There’s no strict roadmap. Development is driven by my personal availability, user feedback, and ideas for improvements.
🔹 Why is the GitHub Issues section for Securonis empty?
Because most users prefer to report bugs or problems through Discord or via email, rather than using the GitHub Issues section.
🔹 When was the first version of Securonis released? Why is there so little information about its history?
The very first version of Securonis was originally called Portal OS. It was an Arch-based, portable, privacy-focused distribution that only ran from USB and used the XFCE4 desktop environment.
Later, I switched to a Debian base and named the project Pxrtal OS, using the GNOME desktop. However, this version wasn’t focused on privacy or security. Instead, it aimed to simplify daily use through automations. Unfortunately, Pxrtal OS had many issues and wasn’t very different from other distributions.
Eventually, I decided to start from scratch again, this time focusing on building a privacy-oriented distribution under the name Securonis. Unlike Tails, Securonis wasn’t designed to be a live-only or amnesic system. Instead, my goal was to create a distro suitable for daily use that would still provide basic privacy and security protections.
Versions from 1.0 to 2.5 were quite unstable, which is why I didn’t apply for DistroWatch listing until after version 2.5.
In summary, the Securonis project and my journey in distro development go back over a year. However, because Portal OS and Pxrtal OS were not stable or well-known, there’s not much public information about these early stages.
🔹 Why should we trust Securonis?
All source code is publicly available.
Whether or not you trust the project is entirely up to you.
If you’re extremely security-conscious, you can use the Securonis live-build configuration to build your own custom spin from scratch.
🔹 Will the project continue?
I may continue development, or I may not. Time will tell.
Securonis is a personal passion project. If you’d like to contribute, any help is welcome.
