Backup and Restore

Qubes OS has a backup utility that allows for backup and restoration of user-specified VMs and templates.

SecureDrop Workstation requires only that you back up instance-specific secrets and configuration files, although you can optionally back up some additional local data.

To perform backups, you will need:

  • a LUKS-encrypted USB or LUKS-encrypted external hard drive (of sufficient size, if backing up additional local data)

  • a secure place to store backup credentials (such as a password manager on your primary laptop)

Backup

Preserve files from dom0 and sd-gpg

Preserve configuration files and private key material by copying them into dom0.

In a dom0 Terminal via Q > Gear Icon (left-hand side) > Other Tools > Xfce Terminal:

qvm-run --pass-io sd-gpg 'gpg -a --export-secret-keys' > sd-keys.asc
sudo mv sd-keys.asc /usr/share/securedrop-workstation-dom0-config/
cp -r /usr/share/securedrop-workstation-dom0-config ~

If you have made customizations to dom0 (for example, custom RPC policy files):

mkdir ~/etc-qubes && cp -r /etc/qubes ~/etc-qubes
mkdir ~/etc-qubes-rpc && cp -r /etc/qubes-rpc ~/etc-qubes-rpc

Back up SecureDrop Workstation

Note

Backups contain sensitive data, and must be created and stored just as securely as SecureDrop Workstation itself.

If performing this backup as part of a migration (from one machine to another or from one version of Qubes OS to another), we suggest you retain the backup only during the migration process, and destroy it after the migration is complete. The easiest way to do this is to create a LUKS-encrypted drive, follow this guide to create your backup, and then wipe (reformat) or destroy the drive after you have successfully restored it onto the new machine, which should ideally happen the same day. In all cases, follow your organization’s internal policies on handling sensitive assets and information.

If you are looking to back up your own customized components of SecureDrop Workstation for long-term storage, we suggest taking that backup separately from the backup of SecureDrop Workstation components so that you can avoid proliferating copies of sensitive assets.

Before starting your backup, decide whether you want to back up your data from sd-app. If you skip this step, the first time you log in, your submissions will re-download from your SecureDrop server.

Ensure your storage medium is plugged in, attached to sd-devices, and unlocked.

Navigate to Q > Gear Icon (left-hand side) > Qubes Tools > Backup Qubes, and move all VMs from “Selected” to “Available” by pressing the << button.

To target a VM for backup, highlight it and move it into the “Selected” column by pressing the > button. Select:

  • dom0

  • the sd-app VM (optional), noting the warning above

  • any customized VMs (and their templates) that you may wish to preserve, noting the warning above.

You do not need to back up the other sd- VMs.

Click “Next”, and in “Backup destination,” specify the VM and directory corresponding to your storage medium’s current mount point.

Set a strong, unique backup passphrase (7-word diceware), and ensure this passphrase is stored securely outside SecureDrop Workstation.

Note

This passphrase protects sensitive components of your SecureDrop instance, including the Submission Private Key, and unencrypted submissions (if sd-app is backed up). Ensure it is a very strong password and is stored securely.

Uncheck “save backup profile,” then proceed with the backup.

Qubes OS recommends verifying the integrity of the backup once the backup completes, and this should be done on the same machine where the backup was created. This can be done by using the Restore Backup GUI tool and selecting “Verify backup integrity, but do not restore the data.” For details, see the Qubes OS backup documentation.

Warning

Any files or data not mentioned above and not backed up elsewhere will be destroyed. Ensure that any other data on your system (for example, using KeepassXC in the vault VM, or data stored in other VMs) have been backed up and the integrity of the backup has been verified before proceeding.

Restore

Reinstall Qubes OS

To restore SecureDrop Workstation, follow our pre-install tasks to provision a Qubes OS system complete with updated base templates.

Rename or delete redundant AppVMs

By default, Qubes OS will create the AppVMs personal, work, untrusted and vault as part of the installation process. Rename or delete any of these newly created AppVMs whose names conflict with the AppVMs you intend to restore from a backup.

Example: If you wish to restore the vault VM, rename or delete the existing vault VM prior to restoring the backup. You can do so in Q > Apps > vault > Settings (the VM must not be running).

Restore Backup (SecureDrop Workstation components)

Plug in your backup medium and unlock it as during the backup. By default on a new system, your peripheral devices will be managed by a VM called sys-usb.

Navigate to Q > Gear Icon (left-hand side) > Qubes Tools > Restore Backup, and enter the location of the backup file. You do not need to adjust the default Restore options, unless you have made customizations to the backup. Enter the decryption/verification passphrase, and proceed to restoring the available qubes (which should include dom0 and possibly sd-app).

We suggest restoring only those VMs, provisioning SecureDrop Workstation, and then restoring any customized VMs you may have had once that process is complete. This way SecureDrop Workstation is provisioned on a clean system and can implement the security measures it requires before any additional VMs are configured.

Note

When migrating to a newer version of Qubes OS (for example, Qubes 4.1 to Qubes 4.2), you may notice that the original templates for certain VMs are not present on your new machine. For the purposes of this guide (optional sd-app backup), this is not a problem. Allow the VM to be restored with the default template suggested by the operating system (the current Fedora base template). Do not start the VM. Continue through the reinstallation process. The correct template will be configured as you follow the rest of these instructions.

If you are restoring your own customized VMs and templates, you may need to take additional steps, such as ensuring your templates are supported. Follow the Qubes documentation on upgrading templates (for example: Fedora templates, Debian templates), or contact Support.

Reinstall SecureDrop Workstation

If you do not already have a work VM, create it with default networking settings:

qvm-create -l blue work

Then, download and verify the SecureDrop Workstation .rpm to the work VM and copy it to dom0.

Once you have a valid .rpm file in dom0, install the .rpm by running:

sudo dnf install securedrop-workstation.rpm

Retrieve the previous SecureDrop Workstation configuration from the backup folder on dom0. From the dom0 home directory:

ls -d */*/* | grep home-restore

You should see a directory called home-restore-$YYYY-MM-DD-HHMMSS/dom0-home/$USERNAME. We will call this $RESTORE_DIR in the instructions below.

sudo cp ~/$RESTORE_DIR/securedrop-workstation-dom0-config/{sd-journalist.sec,config.json,sd-keys.asc} /usr/share/securedrop-workstation-dom0-config/

Optionally, inspect each file before proceeding. The first file should be an ASCII-armored GPG private key file. The second file should follow the format of the example configuration file, with values for its fields (e.g., hostname, submission_key_fpr) specific to your configuration. The file may be formatted in a single line without whitespace. The third file is a backup of key material from sd-gpg and will be moved into that VM when you have reprovisioned the system.

Verify that the configuration is valid:

sdw-admin --validate

If the above command prints OK, the configuration is valid.

Reinstall SecureDrop Workstation:

sdw-admin --apply

Restore additional keys to sd-gpg

In a dom0 terminal:

qvm-copy-to-vm sd-gpg $RESTORE_DIR/securedrop-workstation-dom0-config/sd-keys.asc
qvm-run sd-gpg 'gpg --import /home/user/QubesIncoming/dom0/sd-keys.asc'

Restore Customized VMs, RPC Policies

At this stage, you should have a functional SecureDrop Workstation. You may restore any additional customizations or additional VMs, being mindful that you are responsible for the security implications of customizing this system.

Customizations in dom0 must be restored manually, meaning that any RPC policies you have added will need to be moved into place from the $RESTORE_DIR.

Once you are finished with the $RESTORE_DIR and have verified that your system works (download, decrypt, sync), you may delete the $RESTORE_DIR.

(Post-Migration Instructions) Destroy backup medium

Wipe (reformat) the LUKS-encrypted storage device that you used to store SecureDrop Workstation configuration material, overwriting the LUKS header and all data with a new encrypted partition, or physically destroy the backup medium, to ensure you are not proliferating copies of sensitive data.