Do you periodically delete your app qubes and start fresh?
No
Hmm, why? For temporary or potentially dangerous content exists the concept of disposable qubes.
I’m surprised. Every website is potentially dangerous as far as I can tell. Do you open new websites in a disposable and open trusted sites in a keeper?
Yes, I always use disposable browsers except for things like banks that want to verify your machine every time you log in. And then I have a designated qube for that, which I do not delete periodically.
Same
The only time I clean off old qubes is when I need to move them to another vm-pool, that’s done by cloning so I remove the source once the clone is done.
What I also do is keep a clean, untouched template for each vm type I use. I clone that to new for each application then base appvm off the clone,
So start with
debian-12-xfce clones to:
- z-debian-12-chrome
- z-debian-12-firefox
- z-debian-brave
- z-debian-12-youtube
whonix-workstation-17 clones to:
- z-whonix-tor
- z-whonix-telegram
- z-whonix-signal
So each browser template z-* will have the browser settings configured
Remove all search bar DuckDuckGo
Block pop-ups etc
Set security to Strict/Safest as appropriate
Each messaging template will have the app installed, ready for connection.
Then I can create disposable appvm’s based on these z-* templates and leave the original with no new software at all. Add the browsers to favorites and it starts a new dispvm every time I want a browser, or a messenger. I like doing this because when I close a browser, it turns off the appvm, unlike work/personal etc where the appvm continues to user resource until you shut it down.
No, I periodically reinstall Qubes OS instead.
haha - yes, that too
I almost never use disposable qubes. I always do the extra work of making and delting appvms. To this day i dont know why i am not using disps.