User → VPN → Tor → Internet

Introduction[edit]

Connecting to a VPN before Tor (User → VPN → Tor → Internet)[edit]

Introduction[edit]

• Qubes-Whonix ™ users have the option to use a #Separate VPN-Gateway but could also install the VPN software #Inside Whonix-Gateway ™.
• Non-Qubes-Whonix ™ users could install the VPN software #On the Host or #Inside Whonix-Gateway ™.

What's the difference of installing a VPN on the host versus installing on Whonix-Gateway ™?

To decide the best configuration in your circumstances, consider:

• Is it necessary to hide all traffic from the ISP? ^[1] Then install the VPN on the host.
• Should the VPN provider be able to see all traffic? ^[1] Then install the VPN on the host.
• Should the VPN provider be limited to seeing Tor traffic, but not clearnet traffic? Then install the VPN on Whonix-Gateway ™.

VPN Client Choice[edit]

• Use OpenVPN.
• Using bitmask with Qubes is not yet documented.^[2]
• Other VPN clients are unsupported. We are not aware of any sane VPN client choices besides OpenVPN.

Separate VPN-Gateway[edit]

Qubes-Whonix ™ only! Non-Qubes-Whonix ™ is unsupported!

A separate VPN-Gateway between Whonix-Gateway ™ and sys-firewall, i.e. Whonix-Workstation ™ → Whonix-Gateway ™ → sys-vpn → sys-firewall → sys-net.

User → VPN → Tor → Internet

These "Separate VPN-Gateway" instructions are new. You might be one of the first users. You might run into minor issues. Please test and report ^[archive] how it went.

Note: Both TCP and UDP VPN connections should work. System DNS should work out of the box so no DNS configuration is required for Whonix-Gateway ™.^[4]

Done!

For troubleshooting, see footnote. ^[5]

On the Host[edit]

Non-Qubes-Whonix ™ only! (Because in Qubes, the host is non-networked by default. Qubes-Whonix ™ users have the option to use a #Separate VPN-Gateway but could also install the VPN software #Inside Whonix-Gateway ™.)

User → VPN → Tor → Internet

When using a Whonix-Gateway ™ virtual machine, connect to a VPN using software on the host operating system (and not on the Whonix-Workstation ™ nor Whonix-Gateway ™).

Using software inside the host operating system may be more convenient if your more familiar with the host operating system than Whonix ™. Additionally, your VPN provider might provide custom software with tools for connecting to their servers. However, there are issues that you must consider:

• A VPN on the host operating system will route all traffic originating from the host through the VPN, as well as Whonix ™ traffic. It is up to your preferences, if you like this or not.
• Your VPN software may not be designed or configured to "fail closed". That is, if your VPN session suddenly disconnects, your Tor connection will be automatically sent through your ISP without going through your VPN service.

How to add the VPN in Host OS[edit]

Use the host operating system's built-in tools connect to your VPN or use the software provided by your VPN service.

Use a Fail Closed Mechanism[edit]

A general problem with VPNs is that connections often fail to remain open. This means the VPN connection suddenly closes, leaving the user directly connected to the Internet (without first tunneling through the VPN). This is not a Whonix ™-specific problem. VPN servers and software can occasionally fail without prior notice. Therefore, if the VPN is unreachable or the connection breaks down for whatever reason, in most cases the user will continue to connect to the Internet without the VPN.

One of the key benefits of Whonix ™ is that when a VPN connection fails, protection is still provided by the Tor process. In this instance, the Whonix-Workstation ™ will seamlessly continue to make "direct" connections through Tor. Failure of the VPN tunnel may be inconsequential if a VPN is only used to circumvent Tor censorship. On the other hand, if VPN use is intended to improve security, then it must be configured so that if/when the VPN connection fails, all connections between the outside world and the computer are halted.

If you want to enforce, that the VPN always gets used, try VPN-Firewall ^[archive].

(Or if that works for you, install the VPN on the gateway instead, because it comes with an integrated TUNNEL_FIREWALL feature, i.e. stay away from the standalone VPN-Firewall when you set up a VPN on the gateway.)

Inside Whonix-Gateway ™[edit]

Whonix-Gateway ™ can be configured to connect to a VPN server before Tor, as well as "fail closed", blocking all Tor traffic if the VPN disconnects.

User → VPN → Tor → Internet

VPN Client Choice[edit]

Use OpenVPN.

Using bitmask inside Whonix-Gateway ™ for this use case is unsupported. And discouraged. Because bitmask modifies the firewall. Perhaps that can be configured or is safe. Reaching that and documenting bitmask is TODO, help welcome ^[archive]!

Other VPN clients are unsupported. We are not aware of any sane VPN client choices besides OpenVPN.

Whonix ™ TUNNEL_FIREWALL vs standalone VPN-Firewall[edit]

When applying VPN instructions inside Whonix ™ VMs, do not use the standalone VPN-Firewall. It is not required and is incompatible with the integrated Whonix ™ TUNNEL_FIREWALL feature which is documented below.

Setup Time[edit]

If you are interested in hide Tor and Whonix ™ from the ISP (read that page first)... After installing Whonix-Gateway ™, do the following steps before activating Tor in Whonix ™ Setup Wizard.

Preparation[edit]

It is challenging to set up OpenVPN on Whonix ™ with a secure, leak-preventing Fail Closed Mechanism. For this reason, it is strongly recommended to learn how to set up OpenVPN on Debian stable (currently bullseye). The following steps are a simple overview of the process:

1. Prepare a Debian bullseye VM.
2. Install the Debian OpenVPN package: sudo apt install openvpn.
3. Research how to set up a VPN using OpenVPN on the command line. ^[6]
4. Search for help with general VPN setup in the VPN Setup section or in the VPN Tunnel Setup Examples chapter. Help is available from various sources, and the VPN provider may also be of assistance.

Firewall Settings[edit]

Modify Whonix-Gateway ™ User Firewall Settings.

sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/etc/whonix_firewall.d

sudoedit /usr/local/etc/whonix_firewall.d/50_user.conf

## Please use "/etc/whonix_firewall.d/50_user.conf" for your custom configuration,
## which will override the defaults found here. When {{project_name}} is updated, this
## file may be overwritten.

nano /etc/whonix_firewall.d/30_whonix_gateway_default.conf

Add the following settings. You can skip comments (starting with #). Don't use ; for comments. ^[7] Likely you do not need to either uncomment (removing the # in front) or modify VPN_INTERFACE / LOCAL_NET.

## Make sure Tor always connects through the VPN.
## Enable: 1
## Disable: 0
## DISABELD BY DEFAULT, because it requires a VPN provider.
VPN_FIREWALL=1

## For OpenVPN.
#VPN_INTERFACE=tun0

## Destinations you don not want routed through the VPN.
## 10.0.2.2-10.0.2.24: VirtualBox DHCP
#      LOCAL_NET="\
#         127.0.0.0-127.0.0.24 \
#         192.168.0.0-192.168.0.24 \
#         192.168.1.0-192.168.1.24 \
#         10.152.152.0-10.152.152.24 \
#         10.0.2.2-10.0.2.24 \
#      "

Save.

Reload Firewall[edit]

Reload Whonix-Gateway ™ Firewall.

sudo whonix_firewall

sudoers Configuration[edit]

Inside Whonix-Gateway ™.

Open file /etc/sudoers.d/tunnel_unpriv in an editor with root rights.

sudoedit /etc/sudoers.d/tunnel_unpriv

Comment in the following and remove the single hashes (#) in front of all lines, but do not remove the double hashes (##). The edited file should look like this.

Use of wildcard / asterix * is non-ideal security wise. ^[8]

tunnel ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /bin/ip
tunnel ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/openvpn *
Defaults:tunnel !requiretty

Save and exit.

VPN Setup[edit]

Introduction[edit]

Get VPN Certificate[edit]

TODO: Documentation bug fix required. Won't work without Tor being enabled. You need to get the certificate elsewhere and then File Transfer it into Whonix-Gateway ™.

1. Inspect the Riseup Certificate Authority ^[archive] page and download (right-click) the Riseup CA certificate ^[archive]. ^[9]
2. Advanced users can optionally verify the Riseup CA certificate ^[archive] before storing it. ^[10]
3. Store the certificate in /etc/openvpn/RiseupCA.pem:

curl --tlsv1.3 --proto =https https://help.riseup.net/security/network-security/riseup-ca/RiseupCA.pem | sudo tee /etc/openvpn/RiseupCA.pem

VPN Credentials[edit]

Inside Whonix-Gateway ™.

For this example, for this step, a Riseup account is required. Unfortunately, the former free VPN service is no longer available. ^[11] This means to create an account you will need an "invite code" from a current Riseup user.

• If you have one:
  • 1. Navigate to the account creation page ^[archive] in Tor Browser.
  • 2. Enter the invite code.
  • 3. Choose a username unrelated to your real identity.
  • 4. Enter a strong password.
• If you do not have an invite code:
  • Please do not ask Whonix ™ developers or forums for an invite code because none will be available.
  • Instead tailor the instructions in this section to work with any other OpenVPN provider.

1. Open file /etc/openvpn/auth.txt in an editor with root rights.

sudoedit /etc/openvpn/auth.txt

2. Add.

Note: Replace riseupusername with the actual Riseup user name and replace vpnsecret with the actual user name and password or just go to https://account.riseup.net/ ^[archive], log in and click on "VPN".

riseupusername
vpnsecret

3 . Save and exit.

VPN IP Address[edit]

This cannot be done inside Whonix-Gateway ™ since it by default does not system default DNS for its own traffic.

When editing the VPN configuration file the use of DNS hostnames is not supported. This means IP address(s) of the VPN must be used.^[12] Therefore, vpn.riseup.net cannot be used, but an IP address such as 198.252.153.226 should be used instead. To discover the IP address, check with the provider or use nslookup on the host. For example, to verify the actual IP address of the vpn.riseup.net DNS server, run.

nslookup vpn.riseup.net

VPN Configuration File[edit]

Inside Whonix-Gateway ™.

Open file /etc/openvpn/openvpn.conf in an editor with root rights.

sudoedit /etc/openvpn/openvpn.conf

Add.

Note: make sure to adjust the remote 198.252.153.226 80 variable in your config (unless you are using nyc.vpn.riseup.net as your VPN service). Replace the IP (198.252.153.226) and port (80) to match your VPN service.

##############################
## VPN provider specific settings ##
##############################
auth-user-pass auth.txt

## using nyc.vpn.riseup.net 80
remote 198.252.153.226 80

ca RiseupCA.pem

remote-cert-tls server

####################################
## TUNNEL_FIREWALL specific settings ##
####################################
client
dev tun0
persist-tun
persist-key

script-security 2
#up "/etc/openvpn/update-resolv-conf script_type=up dev=tun0"
#down "/etc/openvpn/update-resolv-conf script_type=down dev=tun0"

user tunnel
iproute /usr/bin/ip_unpriv

# Disabling any possible ipv6 auto-configuration since we have ipv6 disabled on our Whonix-Gateway
pull-filter ignore "dhcp-option DNS6"
pull-filter ignore "tun-ipv6"
pull-filter ignore "ifconfig-ipv6"

Do not worry about TCP mode on Whonix-Gateway ™. Using the VPN in TCP mode may be possible depending the services provides by your VPN provider, but is not required on Whonix-Gateway ™. The VPN in UDP mode should work just fine. ^[13] Your pick.

^{[14] [15]}

Save.

DNS Configuration[edit]

DNS configuration, resolvconf, update-resolv-conf or similar is not required for Whonix-Gateway ™. ^[16]

Configuration Folder Permissions[edit]

Inside Whonix-Gateway ™.

(Qubes-Whonix ™: In Template)

Since OpenVPN will be run under user tunnel, that user requires read access to the folder /etc/openvpn.

sudo chown -R tunnel:tunnel /etc/openvpn

sudo chown -R tunnel:tunnel /run/openvpn

systemd setup[edit]

Inside Whonix-Gateway ™.

(Qubes-Whonix ™: In Template. ^[17])

sudo cp /lib/systemd/system/openvpn@.service /lib/systemd/system/openvpn@openvpn.service

sudo systemctl enable openvpn@openvpn

sudo systemctl start openvpn@openvpn

sudo systemctl status openvpn@openvpn

Enable Tor[edit]

(Qubes-Whonix ™: If using a Template, shut down the Template and restart Whonix-Gateway ™ (sys-whonix). )

Enable Tor using Anon Connection Wizard.

Troubleshooting[edit]

You can skip this troubleshooting chapter unless any difficulties are encountered.

ip_unpriv vs ip-unpriv[edit]

There are two similar, yet distinct projects: standalone VPN-FIREWALL and Whonix TUNNEL_FIREWALL. Although both are alike, there is one difference that might be encountered. For instance, in the VPN Configuration File section:

• Whonix TUNNEL_FIREWALL uses ip_unpriv (underscore)
• Standalone VPN-FIREWALL uses ip-unpriv (hyphen)

Be sure to use the right version of ip unpriv depending on whether VPN-FIREWALL or Whonix TUNNEL_FIREWALL is in use.

50_openvpn_unpriv.conf vs 50_openvpn-unpriv.conf[edit]

Like the example above:

• Whonix TUNNEL_FIREWALL uses /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/50_openvpn_unpriv.conf ip_unpriv (underscore)
• Standalone VPN-FIREWALL uses /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/50_openvpn-unpriv.conf ip-unpriv (hyphen)

Cannot ioctl TUNSETIFF[edit]

 ERROR: Cannot ioctl TUNSETIFF tun: Operation not permitted (errno=1)

In openvpn.conf do not use.

dev tun

Use.

dev tun0

Dev tun Mismatch[edit]

In openvpn.conf do not use.

dev tun

Use.

dev tun0

/run/openvpn/openvpn.status Permission denied[edit]

 Options error: --status fails with '/run/openvpn/openvpn.status': Permission denied

To avoid permission issues, do not:

• start OpenVPN as root; or
• use sudo openvpn.

Files in the /run/openvpn folder are owned by root, so they cannot be overwritten by the user tunnel.

debug start[edit]

To start debug, run the following commands successively.

sudo /usr/sbin/openvpn --rmtun --dev tun0

sudo /usr/sbin/openvpn --mktun --dev tun0 --dev-type tun --user tunnel --group tunnel

cd /etc/openvpn/

sudo -u tunnel openvpn /etc/openvpn/openvpn.conf

Linux ip link set failed[edit]

 Linux ip link set failed: external program exited with error status: 2

Use ip_unpriv as documented above.

DNS Configuration[edit]

This only applies if resolvconf is in use.

Permissions on two directories may need to be manually changed if they are not automatically applied. Check if changes are necessary with the following command.

ls -la /run/resolvconf

If the output lists tunnel as having read / write / execute permissions for both /run/resolvconf and /run/resolvconf/interface, then nothing needs modification. If tunnel is not listed as a group for one or both directories, then permissions need to be changed. In that case, run.

sudo chown --recursive root:tunnel /run/resolvconf

Then set the necessary permissions.

sudo chmod --recursive 775 /run/resolvconf

In /run/resolvconf, resolv.conf may or may not be owned by tunnel, depending on whether the systemd service has already started. There is no need to modify permissions on this file, as the permissions will change when the service starts.

Terminology for Support Requests[edit]

Phrases such as "over Tor" are ambiguous. Please do not coin idiosyncratic words or phrases, otherwise this leads to confusion. Please use the same terms that are consistently referenced in documentation, such as:

• Connect to a VPN Before Tor (User → VPN → Tor → Internet).
• Connect to Tor Before a VPN (User → Tor → VPN → Internet).
• And so on.

Always refer to the connection scheme when requesting support, such as:

• User → VPN → Tor → Internet, or
• User → Tor → VPN → Internet.

How to Submit a Support Request[edit]

Before submitting a support request for VPN-related issues, users are encouraged to follow the Free Support Principle to work towards a solution. Whonix ™ developers will use the reported information to determine if the issue is a technical problem (legitimate bug) and/or configuration error which is a common cause of VPN connectivity issues.

Before Whonix ™ developers will review the support request, the following information is required:

• Steps to reproduce the behavior. For example, list all command that were run up to this point. ^[18]
• A detailed explanation of actual behavior. Incomplete reports stating the "VPN does not work" will be rejected.
• Expected behavior. Reports simply stating "VPN works" will be rejected.

The following technical information is also necessary:

• All error messages.
• VPN logs from the debug start section:
  • This can be found using the Troubleshooting section on this page.
  • Redact all sensitive information such as VPN server IP addresses; see Never Post Full System Logs or Configuration Files for a rationale.
  • VPN logs are required because a configuration error and/or mismatch may not produce a noticeable error.
• Confirmation of whether the VPN configuration has been modified aside from the instructions on this page.
  • Note: Users are encouraged to troubleshoot their VPN issues in an effort to find a solution. However, if the VPN was modified with custom configuration options, a favorable outcome is less likely if this information is not shared with Whonix ™ developers.
• Confirmation of whether Whonix ™ is configured to use a second tunnel-link/proxy or bridge.
• If applicable, whether links to similar issues were found on the Whonix ™ forums ^[archive] and/or other offsite forums/resources.

Additional Tweaks / Recommendations / Troubleshooting[edit]

sudo service tor@default reload

sudo service tor@default status

Active: active (running) since ...

sudo -u debian-tor tor --verify-config

Sep 17 17:40:41.416 [notice] Read configuration file "/usr/local/etc/torrc.d/50_user.conf".
Configuration was valid

sudo mkdir /etc/systemd/system/tor.service.d

sudoedit /etc/systemd/system/tor.service.d/50_user.conf

[Unit]
After=openvpn.service

sudo su clearnet

exit

Footnotes[edit]

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