Emulator related questions for Debian

[cyberpunk2077]

My cousins are in a state where they have blocked reddit, telegram, discord, twitter and other messaging apps. Certain vpns with servers in the country are ok to use but if say mullvad is used which doesnt have servers in the country, then it might become an issue, it might not but why risk it. Some of these platforms are either mobile only or they don't work if used through the tor network like reddit and twitter. All these websites work well with orbot which uses tor network but orbot doesn't work in ios and drains too much battery in android and keeps on auto closing even if it has unrestricted access to battery.

I am running debian 12 in a live usb, with persistance, my goal is to install the following things and to achieve privacy and anonymity and handover this usb to my cousins so that they can use the emulator to run the apk apps of the blocked platforms and stay connected. Please let me know if something else needs to be installed apart from this, so that the goal of privacy and anonymity can be achieved. I am myself new to linux and did all what's mentioned below using various tutorials on the internet and using youtube as a reference but I have hit a roadblock. Please help me out.

Tor proxies
Installed them. Firefox esr shows a tor exit node as the ip but when I check in terminal using commands to verify whether tor proxies are working fine or not, it gives some error, I forgot what exactly it said. How to make sure that the tor proxies have been correctly set up or not? And is there a way to select a bridge like obsf4 while using these proxies?

macchanger
Installed macchanger. Selected yes when it asks after installation whether you want to change the mac everytime. Then entered the command to automatically change the mac id of wlan. But the internet just stops working. Tried bringing down the interface, again changing mac address to a random one, bringing the interface up, renewing the ip but nothing helps. After sometime the mac id of wlan switches back to the original one and the internet starts to work fine. Why is this happening and what's the solution?

Firewall
Tried multiple firewalls. They have some sudo command which tests that it is set up correctly and has a command which says that I shouldn't get a response from http://www.example.com but I am able to get a response from http://www.example.com which as per the tutorials on the internet I shouldn't as it goes through the clearnet. What am I doing wrong here?

Proxy Chains
What is the difference between proxy chains and tor proxies? Which one is better?

Anonsurf
Is anonsurf needed or will tor proxies make sure that all traffic is routed through the tor network? Installed it for testing and started the service but the internet stops working when this service is started. Stopping the service restores the internet. What do you think?

Emulators
Instead of the google and other crap, I zeroed in on anbox and waydroid. Though anbox's development has been stopped but people said that they were able to install it on other forums. I was not able to install either of them



Why is that so? Is there any similar lightweight android emulator for android? Found this one, a cloud emulator which requires no registration and is free to use https://www.myandroid.org/android-emulator-online/ but it is not working, it sometimes doesn't even install the apk file and sometimes doesn't open the installed file. Can someone please check the same?
If tor proxies are installed in debian and then an android emulator is used to access these blocked platforms then will the emulator have all the information about the pc in which debian is used? Will the app also know that it is being run in an emulator in debian in a pc whose specs are xx ram xx processor etc.?

Others
Please suggest whatever you think will help in this use case. Is a vm recommended? Is sandboxing possible in live debian usb?

[Uptorn]

My cousins are in a state where they have blocked reddit, telegram, discord, twitter and other messaging apps.

Said state might actually be doing them a favor IMO.

macchanger
Installed macchanger. .... Why is this happening and what's the solution?

Changing your mac address is only beneficial in situations where you don't want networking equipment that you don't control to be able to correlate you across multiple visits e.g. to a coffee shop, with a laptop. There is no point in doing this on your home network.

Proxy Chains
What is the difference between proxy chains and tor proxies? Which one is better?

Proxy chains is just a program which proxies programs which may not have built-in proxy support. Tor is something different; an anonymity network. The two are often used in conjunction by online tutorials, but honestly just using tor as-is should be sufficient.


This is probably not the answer you're looking for but I would recommend simply finding replacements for the aforementioned services. It may be worth it to avoid centralized, censorious and user-hostile things like reddit. For example, try exploring Lemmy, Mastodon, or any of the other federated replacements. Or consider using Mumble instead of discord as it is possible to self host, without having to worry about some central point of failure being blocked.

[cyberpunk2077]

My cousins are in a state where they have blocked reddit, telegram, discord, twitter and other messaging apps.

Said state might actually be doing them a favor IMO.

You are right about some of those apps, they are trash anyways, but the level of censorship is very extreme.

macchanger
Installed macchanger. .... Why is this happening and what's the solution?


Changing your mac address is only beneficial in situations where you don't want networking equipment that you don't control to be able to correlate you across multiple visits e.g. to a coffee shop, with a laptop. There is no point in doing this on your home network.

Understood. But just for information sake why does the internet keeps on breaking when it is turned on?

Proxy Chains
What is the difference between proxy chains and tor proxies? Which one is better?

Proxy chains is just a program which proxies programs which may not have built-in proxy support. Tor is something different; an anonymity network. The two are often used in conjunction by online tutorials, but honestly just using tor as-is should be sufficient.[/quote]

Understood.

This is probably not the answer you're looking for but I would recommend simply finding replacements for the aforementioned services. It may be worth it to avoid centralized, censorious and user-hostile things like reddit. For example, try exploring Lemmy, Mastodon, or any of the other federated replacements. Or consider using Mumble instead of discord as it is possible to self host, without having to worry about some central point of failure being blocked.

You are right. Going foss is a good way. They are using an alternative like briar and all but most of the people here still use telegram, facebook and all. It is hard to convince everyone.

Coming to the original post, how to check or make sure that tor proxies are set up fine and that they are routing everything through the tor network and is anonsurf really needed?
The biggest question, why is non of the emulators working? Did you check those screenshots?

[arzgi]

Understood. But just for information sake why does the internet keeps on breaking when it is turned on?

That of course because ip's where send tcp packets are identified by MACs.

I don't want to anyway discourage you, maybe first study some network basics.

[cyberpunk2077]

Understood. But just for information sake why does the internet keeps on breaking when it is turned on?

That of course because ip's where send tcp packets are identified by MACs.

I don't want to anyway discourage you, maybe first study some network basics.

I will surely read about network basics. Sorry if I asked a wrong question, trying to learn and improve.
Any idea about the other queries?

[arzgi]

@Uptorn gave quite valid answers. There are not wrong questions. Your Debian has a lot of info, man pages, /usr/share/doc, and even info, if anyone still uses if. Debian Wiki, arch wiki, and course net is full of answers, you just have judge yourself wich is valid.

OSI model is the real fundamental.

[cyberpunk2077]

@Uptorn gave quite valid answers. There are not wrong questions. Your Debian has a lot of info, man pages, /usr/share/doc, and even info, if anyone still uses if. Debian Wiki, arch wiki, and course net is full of answers, you just have judge yourself wich is valid.

OSI model is the real fundamental.

I have gone through some of the faq threads after creating this thread and some of the queries posted here are answered for. The only remaining ones are which android emulator will work in debain live usb and how to make sure that if an andoriod emulator is up and running then it goes through the tor network itself. Any help about this? I once again apolgize for posting so many idiotic questions.

[arzgi]

I have only used adb, hardly an emulator

Code: Select all

Kuvaus: Android Debug Bridge
 A versatile command line tool that lets you communicate with an emulator
 instance or connected Android-powered device. 
 
 This package recommends "android-sdk-platform-tools-common" which contains
 the udev rules for Android devices. Without this package, adb and fastboot
 need to be running with root permission.
Homepage: https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools

Don't even know if it is Debian live.

You don't ask 'idiotic questions' at all.

[cyberpunk2077]

I have only used adb, hardly an emulator

Code: Select all

Kuvaus: Android Debug Bridge
 A versatile command line tool that lets you communicate with an emulator
 instance or connected Android-powered device. 
 
 This package recommends "android-sdk-platform-tools-common" which contains
 the udev rules for Android devices. Without this package, adb and fastboot
 need to be running with root permission.
Homepage: https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools

Don't even know if it is Debian live.

Unfortunately this won't help in our case as we need to set up or install apk files in it to make them work. What do you recommend that we should do for our use case? Have exhausted everthing before posting here.

[arzgi]

I think this question was asked here today, waydroid was mentioned. It is not in the repo https://waydro.id/

[cyberpunk2077]

I think this question was asked here today, waydroid was mentioned. It is not in the repo https://waydro.id/

Will check and report back. Will an app say telegram installed in that emulator know that its being run in an emulator in a pc with x processor and y ram?
Since tor proxies will be setup, will all emulator data also route through the tor network and is there an app which can monitor whether all apps are using the tor network or are bypassing it in real time?

[arzgi]

I use F-droid on my android phone, F-droid has a few apps to manipulate and install apks. But that would be just on a phone. https://f-droid.org/

[cyberpunk2077]

I use F-droid on my android phone, F-droid has a few apps to manipulate and install apks. But that would be just on a phone. https://f-droid.org/

What kind of manipulation? Can you share the names of the apps?
Asking from anonymity perspective, if tor proxies are set up and orbot is used in that emulator and then an app like twitter. Now will twitter have access to any personal identifiers of the user's computers?

[arzgi]

What kind of manipulation? Can you share the names of the apps?
Asking from anonymity perspective, if tor proxies are set up and orbot is used in that emulator and then an app like twitter. Now will twitter have access to any personal identifiers of the user's computers?

F-droid has a search function, searhad for 'apk', and a few were showed. I don't think the names would help you, as they are made for F-droid. F-droid and all the apps are open source. Your questions go around, open source tools don't have backdoors.

[CwF]

@cyberpunk2077
With invitation from your post in a zombie thread I can only say the quest is outside my interest and expertise. This thread is a little like an oversized scoop of peanut butter in an otherwise dehydrated mouth, and I Don't got Milk.

This is all to much at once. Mastery comes easier with one thing at a time. Solutions are usually magnitudes simpler than first conceived. Anymore I prefer segregation over integration, meaning some functionality deserves its own solution instead of packing it all in one gizmo. Dedicated devices are best.

I don't use any android or ios. I was the one bitching about personnel using smart phones instead of the secure digital two way radio provided. So get a 2nd hand throw away smart phone if you must...

I may take another look at BlissOS, but I have no pressing need. I don't like chasing moving targets and things that may not solidify.

And another truth. Security should start with a simple question - Are You a target? If so, there is no solution in commodity devices. If not, it's mostly a waste of time. Most breaches are user error, stop clickin' on stuff. I don't believe 'profile aggregation' can be avoided in the world of today. You can use discrete and temporary devices and rely on the fact that most collected info are assumptive and filled with erroneous data. Intentional misinformation works well.

Concerning OS isolation, you need dedicated network hardware driven within the guest OS, not a bridge. Wired connections on bridges and even unconfigured with no ip can still be breached. Absolute security is nothing short of a power switch. Same for all; wifi, bluetooth, irblaster, even unifying kbm dongles.

Sounds like you may interested in Meshtastic if you're preparing for WWIII.

[friendlysalmon88]

This kind of issue crops up in several situations where the country that you live in or do business in on a regular basis. Are you looking to use a thumb drive or actual hardware?

[cyberpunk2077]

This kind of issue crops up in several situations where the country that you live in or do business in on a regular basis. Are you looking to use a thumb drive or actual hardware?

I want to setup an android emulator using tor proxies in a live debian usb and hand it over to my cousins in a different state where everything is censored. The use case is so that they are able to run the blocked apps on it later without any issues.

[cyberpunk2077]

@cyberpunk2077
With invitation from your post in a zombie thread I can only say the quest is outside my interest and expertise. This thread is a little like an oversized scoop of peanut butter in an otherwise dehydrated mouth, and I Don't got Milk.

This is all to much at once. Mastery comes easier with one thing at a time. Solutions are usually magnitudes simpler than first conceived. Anymore I prefer segregation over integration, meaning some functionality deserves its own solution instead of packing it all in one gizmo. Dedicated devices are best.

I don't use any android or ios. I was the one bitching about personnel using smart phones instead of the secure digital two way radio provided. So get a 2nd hand throw away smart phone if you must...

I may take another look at BlissOS, but I have no pressing need. I don't like chasing moving targets and things that may not solidify.

And another truth. Security should start with a simple question - Are You a target? If so, there is no solution in commodity devices. If not, it's mostly a waste of time. Most breaches are user error, stop clickin' on stuff. I don't believe 'profile aggregation' can be avoided in the world of today. You can use discrete and temporary devices and rely on the fact that most collected info are assumptive and filled with erroneous data. Intentional misinformation works well.

Concerning OS isolation, you need dedicated network hardware driven within the guest OS, not a bridge. Wired connections on bridges and even unconfigured with no ip can still be breached. Absolute security is nothing short of a power switch. Same for all; wifi, bluetooth, irblaster, even unifying kbm dongles.

Sounds like you may interested in Meshtastic if you're preparing for WWIII.

Thank you. The only reason of going this deep and being so much paranoid is because my cousins are younger than me and that state where they live has very strict laws if people circumvent the bans to access the banned apps. Coming to meshtastic, thanks will check and get back. You are right solutions are magnitudes simpler than first conceived, the whole idea of posting everything here was so that others can point out my mistakes, since I am not so well versed with linux and the terminal commands myself. Bliss os is fine but it is routing everything through tor that is required. Sorry for tagging you without your approval.