Qubes OS has released version 4.3.2, a new operating system that focuses on the idea of using a hypervisor to strictly isolate applications and OS components. This means that each application class and system service runs on separate virtual machines. The recommended system requirements include 16 GB of RAM, a 64-bit Intel or AMD CPU with specific technologies, and preferably an Intel GPU. The installation image size is 8 GB for x86_64 architecture. (Source: Qubes OS)
In Qubes OS, applications are divided into different classes based on data importance and tasks being solved. Each class of applications and system services run in separate virtual machines using the Xen hypervisor. Users can access these applications within the same desktop, with different colors for clarity. Each environment has read access to the base root file system and local storage, which is segregated from other environments. A special service facilitates the interaction among applications. (Source: Qubes OS Wiki)
The OS supports Fedora and Debian packages for creating virtual environments, with community support for templates of Ubuntu, Gentoo, and Arch Linux. Users can also access applications in a Windows virtual machine and create virtual machines based on Whonix for anonymous access via Tor. The user interface is based on Xfce, whereby launching an application from the menu starts it in a specific virtual machine. The content of virtual environments is determined by a set of templates. (Source: Whonix)
In the latest version, the template for virtual environments has been updated to Fedora 44 and the Linux kernel to version 7.2. The release also addresses various errors and vulnerabilities, including critical flaws in the Xen hypervisor and the “qvm-copy-to-vm” utility that allows code execution at the Dom0 level. For more details on the fixed issues and vulnerabilities, visit the Qubes OS website. (Issues: