Is Kicksecure right for me?

Support
1

Greetings Kicksecure Community!

I am an individual who is currently looking for a security-hardened desktop experience for Debian. I am setting this up for a Windows user (my family member). The same setup I give them will be the same setup I’ll use on my Debian laptop so I can “look over their shoulder” for any problems they might experience.

I have a few questions for the community.

1.) Can I install Kicksecure on a Debian-based distro like SpiralLinux? Please Google. Can’t link website.
2.) Would it drastically change the settings setup by SpiralLinux?
3.) Regardless of SpiralLinux, can my family member still use Firefox and Brave comfortably and print stuff off of their wireless Brother printer? They really need Bluetooth and Printing to work, or this whole thing collapses.
4.) This security sounds great, but is it “beginner friendly” to maintain? I still have a life to live. I’d like to “set it and forget it” if possible.

Here are my needs:

1.) A Debian distro with Btrfs+Snapper/Timeshift support.
2.) Full nonfree hardware support.
3.) Extensive printer support.
4.) Full Bluetooth support.
5.) Comfortable web browsing experience.

Nice to Have:
1.) Messaging services like Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp on the desktop.

I have used Linux for a long time, but mostly stuck with Ubuntu and EndeavourOS. I am a Linux novice when it comes to security, but I am willing to read documentation and learn. Can you help me? Is Kicksecure right for me and my family?

2

Probably.

See Kicksecure wiki. Some of it is documented.

1 Like
3

I actually have a very low threat model.

There’s not a lot of adversaries or trouble that I would need to protect this device from. My only concerned really is that my family member would accidentally click on something on some random website and install malware on my Linux system.

Is it possible (or advisable) to just install Kicksecure “as is” and forget it? Then just keep up with the news as changes are made?

1 Like
4

No, if malware is manually downloaded and executed, we don’t have protections for that at this time. In the future this might help:

But even then malware can be installed as simple as installing a malicious browser addon. We don’t have a “kiosk mode” which might be the thing you’re looking for. One day perhaps but not soon.

related:
System Configuration and Access - Kicksecure chapter Avoid Shared Hosts in Kicksecure wiki