8 ways to protect your privacy on Linux and keep your data safe

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Linux and privateness spell manus successful hand. 

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That starts with robust information and ends with smart, preventative behaviour connected the portion of the user. Fortunately, it is not hard to summation other privateness erstwhile utilizing the Linux operating system and, adjacent better, it tin (mostly) beryllium done for free.

1. Use an anonymous-centric organisation

Certain Linux distributions, specified arsenic Kodachi and Tails, are created with privateness successful mind. 

These distributions thin to beryllium utilized unrecorded (which means they are not installed similar a accepted operating system) and see components geared toward helping you support your privateness intact. You volition find tools for anonymity, encryption, logging, and overmuch much -- each of which spell a agelong mode toward bolstering your privacy. 

Also: 5 champion Linux distros for staying anonymous -- erstwhile a VPN is not enough

The 1 caveat to utilizing specified a organisation is that each clip you reboot, you are backmost astatine quadrate 1 (which is by plan and helps forestall your OS from leaving immoderate hint of you behind).

2. Use Tor Browser

If you bash not similar the thought of utilizing a live distribution, you should astatine slightest employment Tor Browser. 

When utilizing Tor Browser, your web enactment is automatically encrypted and anonymous. Tor Browser is the champion web browser for information and privacy, and nary different browser tin interaction it. This browser is for those who privation to guarantee their clip connected the web is protected from those who would bargain accusation and usage it against them. 

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Tor Browser tin beryllium installed from astir modular repositories and utilized escaped of charge.

3. Use encryption

Another summation you tin marque is the usage of encryption. 

Linux enjoys GnuPG, which is simply a escaped implementation of Pretty Good Privacy, and does an outstanding occupation of encrypting data. You tin not lone encrypt files and folders, but besides integrate it with your email lawsuit to nonstop encrypted communications. 

Also: How to encrypt immoderate email - successful Outlook, Gmail, and different fashionable services

The 1 happening to remember, however, is that you indispensable person the nationalist keys of those to whom you privation to nonstop encrypted messages. Other than that, utilizing GnuPG is precise elemental and worthy the clip progressive successful getting it acceptable up.

4. Disable determination sharing

Some Linux distributions (especially those based connected either the GNOME oregon KDE Plasma desktops) see systems for telemetry (sending idiosyncratic accusation to the improvement teams). 

Also: How to find retired if an AirTag is tracking you - and what to bash astir it

You mightiness not privation specified accusation being sent retired from your instrumentality (even if the receiving enactment tin beryllium trusted, you ne'er cognize if it volition beryllium intercepted). GNOME makes it casual for you to disable specified information, which includes determination sharing. In the Privacy conception of Settings, you volition find the Location Services option, which you tin click the On/Off slider until it is successful the disconnected position. 

For KDE Plasma, you tin disable the geoclue work with sudo systemctl disable geoclue.

5. Use a VPN

When successful doubt, use a VPN. 

Why? A VPN not lone anonymizes your traffic, but besides encrypts it, making it astir intolerable for your information to beryllium intercepted and used. Here is the thing, though: you should beryllium utilizing much than conscionable a web browser hold for your VPN due to the fact that you should besides adhd this extortion to email and different network-based traffic. 

Also: The champion VPN services: Expert tested and reviewed

Fortunately, determination are desktop VPN clients for Linux, specified arsenic ProtonVPN, ExpressVPN, and Windscribe.

6. Delete temp files and logs

Linux retains temp files and logs, which are often adjuvant for troubleshooting (this is particularly existent for log files). However, those files tin incorporate accusation that could beryllium utilized to negatively interaction your privateness (such arsenic IP addresses and moving services). 

Fortunately, Linux has features successful spot to automatically purge those files astatine acceptable intervals. For example, the contents of the /tmp directory are usually deleted upon a reboot. Logs are besides rotated connected a regular basis.

Also: Linux laptop lagging? 5 elemental ways to velocity it up fast

You can, however, instrumentality attraction of those tasks manually. For example, you tin simply contented the bid sudo rm /tmp/*. Even better, you tin delete each files that are older than 10 days (in lawsuit you request the astir caller impermanent files) with a bid similar sudo find /tmp -type f -atime +10 -delete.

As acold arsenic logs are concerned, you tin usage logrotate, which is simply a spot much complicated. You person to make a configuration record successful /etc/logrotate.d/ that mightiness look similar this:

/var/log/myapp/*.log { rotate 7 regular compress missingok notifempty make 0640 myapp myapp postrotate systemctl reload myapp endscript }

You could past tally logrotate with that config similar so:

logrotate -f /etc/logrotate.conf

7. Use 2-factor authentication

With immoderate exertion oregon work you usage that offers 2-factor authentication, you should usage it. 

The crushed is that it is 1 other furniture of information for your accounts that you would not different have. Once acceptable up, 2FA requires an other 6-digit passcode (that you either person via SMS oregon get from a mobile authentication app). Without that 6-digit passcode, you volition not beryllium fixed entree to your account. 

Also: Why multi-factor authentication is perfectly indispensable successful 2025

This mightiness beryllium an inconvenience, but it is 1 that is worthy each other 2nd -- adjacent connected Linux.

8. Monitor strategy enactment

You should marque a regular wont of monitoring strategy activity. But however bash you bash that? 

There are definite log files you should cognize about, specified arsenic syslog (which collects accusation from services, daemons, and applications), auth.log (to show and troubleshoot authentication), unafraid (authentication and authorization events), audit.log (security-related events), wtmp (to way idiosyncratic activities and login times), and btmp (to way unauthorized login attempts and imaginable information breaches). 

Also: This is the astir adjuvant caller Linux instrumentality I've tried successful years -- here's wherefore and however I usage it

If you tally different services (such arsenic Apache oregon MariaDB), you should besides regularly show the associated log files.

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