Whonix: configure Torbrowser for use in DispVM

[Sven Semmler]

I used to make some minor preference changes in torbrowser in the dvm
template ... but that no longer works.

template: tpl-who-15-ws
dvm-template: dvm-anon based on tpl-who-15-ws

dom0# qvm-run -a dvm-anon xfce4-terminal
dvm-anon# torbrowser

... here I make my changes:

- remove all search engines except DuckDuckGoOnion
- set security to 'safest'

These changes survive in dvm-anon, but if I start a dispvm based on
dvm-anon the slider is on standard and all the search engines are
present.

I think torbrowser is a whonix-specific script that somehow detects that
it's running in a dispvm and then nukes the profile and replaces it with
a default. Is that true?

In that case, I would like to copy my profile from dvm-anon into the
actual template to the path from where the script copies. I get that
doing other changes to the preferences might harm. I want only the
default search engine to change and the security to be 'safest' (no
scripts at all)

What's the best way to do this?

/Sven

--
public key: https://www.svensemmler.org/0x8F541FB6.asc
fingerprint: D7CA F2DB 658D 89BC 08D6 A7AA DA6E 167B 8F54 1FB6

[taran1s]

Sven Semmler:

> I used to make some minor preference changes in torbrowser in the dvm
> template ... but that no longer works.
>
> template: tpl-who-15-ws
> dvm-template: dvm-anon based on tpl-who-15-ws
>
> dom0# qvm-run -a dvm-anon xfce4-terminal
> dvm-anon# torbrowser
>
> ... here I make my changes:
>
> - remove all search engines except DuckDuckGoOnion
> - set security to 'safest'
>
> These changes survive in dvm-anon, but if I start a dispvm based on
> dvm-anon the slider is on standard and all the search engines are
> present.
>
> I think torbrowser is a whonix-specific script that somehow detects that
> it's running in a dispvm and then nukes the profile and replaces it with
> a default. Is that true?
>
> In that case, I would like to copy my profile from dvm-anon into the
> actual template to the path from where the script copies. I get that
> doing other changes to the preferences might harm. I want only the
> default search engine to change and the security to be 'safest' (no
> scripts at all)
>
> What's the best way to do this?
>
> /Sven
>

As far as I understand it, you should not touch the dvm template with
any changes at all, but make any needed changes in the whonix-ws
template instead. Like for example using Tor Browser Downloader - you
run it directly in the whonix-ws-xx template instead of whonix-ws-xx-dvm.

[Patrick Schleizer]

Sven Semmler:

> I think torbrowser is a whonix-specific script that somehow detects that
> it's running in a dispvm and then nukes the profile and replaces it with
> a default. Is that true?

No.

https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Qubes/DisposableVM

> I want only the
> default search engine to change and the security to be 'safest' (no
> scripts at all)
>
> What's the best way to do this?

https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Qubes/DisposableVM#Tor_Browser_in_DVM_Template

https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Tor_Browser/Advanced_Users#DVM_Template_Customization

[Sven Semmler]

On Thu, Mar 19, 2020 at 01:59:54PM +0000, Patrick Schleizer wrote:
> https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Tor_Browser/Advanced_Users#DVM_Template_Customization

Sorry, I should have RTFM. /Sven