Welcome to the SecureDrop Workstation documentation!

SecureDrop Workstation is a tool to enable journalists to communicate with anonymous sources and manage submitted documents, while providing mitigations against malware and other security risks. It is built on Qubes OS and requires a SecureDrop server setup.

Note

This documentation is also available as a Tor Onion Service at http://wcjrbbrllo2r554s542u55on6y4sf3aq2gheigjs3rpsfoa2qq3z2gqd.onion/en/stable/.

Overview

• Introduction
  • What is Qubes OS?
  • What is SecureDrop Workstation?
  • Who is behind SecureDrop Workstation?
• SecureDrop Workstation Architecture
  • SecureDrop Workstation networking architecture
• SecureDrop Workstation Project Status
  • Is SecureDrop Workstation right for you?
  • Do you still need a Tails-based Secure Viewing Station?
• Limitations and known issues
  • Reporting issues
  • Current known issues
• Supported Filetypes

Journalist Guide

• Starting Qubes
• Starting the SecureDrop App
  • Performing updates
  • Signing in
  • Seen and unseen submissions
  • Working offline
• Communicating with sources
  • Opening a conversation
  • Highlighting conversations
  • Sending a reply
  • Deleting conversations
• Working with submissions
  • Downloading
  • Viewing
  • Printing
  • Exporting to an Export USB
• Ending your session
• FAQ
  • Frequently Asked Questions

Admin Guide: Installation

• SecureDrop Workstation Installation Overview
  • Overview
  • Prerequisites
• Pre-install Tasks
  • Apply BIOS updates and check settings
  • Download and verify Qubes OS
  • Install Qubes OS (estimated wait time: 30-45 minutes)
  • (Hardware-dependent) Apply USB fixes
  • Apply dom0 updates (estimated wait time: 15-30 minutes)
  • Apply updates to system templates (estimated wait time: 45-60 minutes)
• Installing SecureDrop Workstation
  • Download SecureDrop Workstation Packages
  • Configure SecureDrop Workstation
  • Copy SecureDrop login credentials
  • Install SecureDrop Workstation (estimated wait time: 60-90 minutes)
  • Test the Workstation
  • (Optional) Enable the SecureDrop App
  • Enable password copy and paste
• Troubleshooting Installation Errors
  • Error configuring SecureDrop Workstation
  • “Failed to return clean data”
  • “Temporary failure resolving”
  • “Unable to reset PCI device”
  • Full system freezes
  • Getting Support

Admin Guide: Reference

• Recommended hardware
  • Qubes OS hardware requirements
  • Choosing a laptop
  • Choosing a printer
• Keeping the Workstation secure
  • Physically secure the workstation
  • Use strong passphrases
  • Apply updates when prompted
• Managing Clipboard Access
  • Configuring clipboard access to sd-app
• Reviewing and exporting logs
• Troubleshooting connection problems
  • Step 1: Verify you are connected to the Internet
  • Step 2: Troubleshooting login issues
  • Step 3: Verify that all required VMs are running
  • Step 4: Verify that required VMs have connectivity
  • Step 5: Restart sd-proxy
  • Step 7: Restart sys-net and sys-firewall
  • Examining logs
• Troubleshooting system updates
  • Step 1: Locate the updater log
  • Step 2: Identify the cause(s) of the error
  • Step 3: Resolve the issue(s)
  • Step 4: Restart the updater
• Provisioning Export USB devices
  • Creating a LUKS-encrypted drive
  • Creating a VeraCrypt-encrypted drive
• Backup and Restore
  • Backup
  • Restore
• BIOS Update Instructions
  • Automatic BIOS Updates
  • Manual BIOS Updates
• Removing the Passphrase from a GPG Key

• Index

• Search Page