3 GB of RAM to work smoothly.

Tails can work with less than 23 GB RAM but might behave strangelyexperience reduced
performance, instability, or crashes.

Tails can work with less than 3 GB RAM but might experience reduced
performance, instability, or crashes.

- The ability to start from a USB stick or a DVD reader.

The ability to start from a USB stick or a DVD reader.

Tails will never try to harm you or any of our users, as a core principle of our [social contract](https://community.torproject.org/policies/social_contract/). As part of that commitment, we have written this page to help you make an informed decision about whether you can trust Tails.

- **Our work is public**

**Our work is public**

Tails is [[audited by independent security researchers|security#audits]] and we publish the results of these audits.

- **Tails is based on Tor and Debian**

**Tails is based on Tor and Debian**

The software included in Tails is either written by us or inherited from
Debian and other Tor projects:

[Debian](https://debian.org/) is the Linux distribution with the most derivatives, including Ubuntu.

Debian and its derivatives
are [the most popular Linux distributions on web
servers](https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/os-linux) across the
Internet.

The Debian project is coordinated over the Internet by a team of
volunteers whose work is entirely public. All this makes Debian one of the
Free Software projects under the most scrutiny by security researchers.

[Tor](https://torproject.org/) is the best anonymity network available.

Tails is made by the Tor Project, the same organization that makes the Tor
software and *Tor Browser*.

Tor
has partnered with leading research institutions and has been subjected to
intensive academic research. Tor has received awards from institutions
such as the [EFF](https://www.eff.org/awards/pioneer/2012) and the [Free
Software
Foundation](https://www.fsf.org/news/2010-free-software-awards-announced).
Even the NSA qualified Tor as "[the King of high secure, low latency Internet
Anonymity](https://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/oct/04/tor-high-secure-internet-anonymity)."

- **Our downloads are verifiable**

**Our downloads are verifiable**

- **Tails is recommended by renown and diverse people and organizations**

**Tails is recommended by renown and diverse people and organizations**

Tails is part of the <a href="https://www.torproject.org/">Tor Project</a>, a global nonprofit developing tools for online privacy and anonymity. To better protect you, the same people are building the Tor network, the <i>Tor Browser</i>, and Tails.

Tor Project and Tails <a href="https://blog.torproject.org/tor-tails-join-forces/">joined forces</a> in 2024.

Try to keep your computer in a safe location. Hardware alterations are more likely on public computers, in iInternet cafés or libraries, and on desktop computers, where a device is easier to hide.

Try to keep your computer in a safe location. Hardware alterations are more likely on public computers, in Internet cafés or libraries, and on desktop computers, where a device is easier to hide.

Firmware attacks have been demonstrated, but are complicated and expensive to perform. We don't know of any actual use against Tails users. For an example, see <a href=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNYsfUNegEA>LegbaCore: Stealing GPG keys/emails in Tails via remote firmware infection</a>.