Threat model
No tool protects against everything. This table shows what RedderOS covers, what it only partly covers and what it does not cover. If your threat is marked "No", you need other measures.
| Threat | Covered | How |
|---|---|---|
| An internet provider or Wi-Fi network that snoops | Yes | All traffic leaves encrypted through Tor. A local observer can see that you use Tor, but not what you visit or who you talk to. |
| IP leaks | Yes | The firewall only lets TCP through to Tor's TransPort (9040) and DNS to its DNSPort (5353). UDP, ICMP and IPv6 are dropped. If Tor goes down, there is no network: there is never a direct connection. |
| Traces left on the computer | Yes | The system lives in RAM and the session disappears when you shut down. Persistent profiles are encrypted and leave no readable metadata. |
| Tracking by MAC address or hostname | Yes | The computer never appears on the network with its factory MAC address or an identifiable name. |
| Local kernel exploits | Partial | The hardened kernel reduces the attack surface, but it does not remove any vulnerabilities that may exist. |
| Cold boot attack | Partial | Keys are only held in RAM and are lost after shutdown, but someone with immediate physical access to a running or just-powered-off computer could recover them. |
| Compromised firmware or hardware keylogger | No | These operate beneath or outside the operating system. No OS can reliably detect them. |
| Global observer of the Tor network | No | Anyone who can see both the entry and the exit of Tor at once can correlate the traffic. This is a limit of Tor, not something the system can solve. |
| Identifying yourself under your real name | No | If you log in to your accounts or hand over personal details, no technical layer can undo that. |
What each value means
- Yes: the system is designed to prevent it.
- Partial: the system makes it harder, but an attacker with the right resources can still achieve it.
- No: it is beyond the reach of an operating system.
How each "Yes" is achieved
The technical details are in Network and Tor, Hardening and Profiles. The Self-test checks on every test boot that those protections are active.
What is still untested
The system has been tested in QEMU, not on real hardware or with Tor on a real network. See the full list under Transparency.