Here are the strengths and weaknesses of all three.

A security-focused distribution of Linux can help.

For most of us, the use cases here are pretty simple.

All of these distributions can run in a virtual machine or from a Live CD/USB.

Its main goal is to give yousecurity through anonymity.

With it, you’ve got the option to browse the web anonymously through encrypted connections.

Tails protects you in a number of ways.

Instead, everything you’re working on is stored in RAM and erased when you shut down.

This means any sensitive documents you’re working on are never stored permanently.

Tails is also packed with a bunch of basic cryptographic tools.

If you’re running Tails off a USB drive, it’s encrypted withLUKS.

The crux of Tails is anonymity.

While it has cryptographic tools in place, its main purpose is to anonymize everything you’re during online.

This is great for most people, but it doesn’t give you the freedom to do stupid things.

Cons:Can’t save files locally, slow, loading web sites through Tor takes forever.

Who It’s Best For:Tails is best suited for on-the-go security.

With Qubes, you create virtual machines for each of your environments.

you’ve got the option to create virtual machines of Windows and Linux.

you might also create disposable virtual machines for one time actions.

Whatever happens within these virtual machines is isolated, but its not secured.

If you run a buggy web surfing app, Qubes doesn’t do much to stop the exploit.

The architecture itself is set up to protect you as well.

The major downfall with Qubes is the fact that it’s crucial that you do everything manually.

If you want your data to remain secure, you have to separate it from everything else.

Pros:The isolation technique ensures that if you do download malware, your entire system isn’t infected.

Qubes works on awide variety of hardware, and it’s easy to securely share clipboard data between VMs.

Qubesuser manual is pretty giantso you have to be willing to spend some time learning it.

Let’s take a quick look at a few other popular options.

It’s offline-only, so it’s basically impossible for anyone to hack into it.

It’s similar to Tails, but is a bit more simplified and unfamiliar.

IprediaOS: Like Tails, IprediaOS is all about anonymity.

Instead of routing traffic through Tor, IprediaOS routes throughI2P.

Of course, none of these operating systems are particularly ideal for day-to-day use.

Likewise, the bandwidth costs means most of your web browsing is pretty terrible.