Security can be a major issue in this day and age, especially when there are several types of malware roaming the streets, waiting to compromise your PC's defenses. However, there are multiple preventive measures you can take to curb the chances of security breaches, including setting up firewalls, creating complex passwords, and keeping a weather eye on app permissions.
If you're particularly security-conscious, you can switch from the mainstream Windows 11 and macOS to an operating system designed with a plethora of safety measures built into it. To expedite your search, we've compiled a list of the most secure operating systems in the consumer landscape.
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4 FreeBSD
Be sure to modify the default options
Although Linux operating systems offer more functionalities and are more versatile than FreeBSD, the latter offers plenty of security benefits - so long as you don't stick with the default settings. Compared to the average Linux distro, the absence of systemd on BSD distros saves you the hassle of dealing with a potential attack vector. That said, you'll want to modify a plethora of config files and switch the default permissions of the system directories to harden the security of your FreeBSD system further.
Alternatively, you can switch to the HardenedBSD if you want an even more secure version of FreeBSD. Sure, you may need to switch up a couple of settings, including transitioning over to LibreSSL from OpenSSL. Still, it's easily the best security-focused FreeBSD distro that provides better security provisions right off the bat.
3 Tails
A live OS that values privacy over all else
Most of the popular Linux distributions offer a live boot environment, allowing you to run the entire OS from RAM. Since the contents of your PC's memory are flushed after every reboot, you could technically use this live boot facility to maintain your anonymity... and Tails can further simplify running a live OS for your daily needs.
For starters, the OS ships with the Tor browser, which is not only free from the vulnerabilities of typical Chromium browsers but also provides solid encryption and onion routing to help you mask your online presence. In case you're having a hard time switching to an OS that wipes all your data on a reboot, Tails also lets you set up persistent storage on your USB drive.
2 Whonix
An OS... that needs to be run inside a virtual machine
Close
Unlike the typical distros we've covered so far, Whonix runs inside an existing OS as a virtual machine rather than a bare-metal operating system that you'd install directly on top of the hardware. While we're stretching the definition of an "operating system" with Whonix, its hardened kernel and privacy features have earned it a spot on this list.
Besides the virtual machine acting as the workstation, Whonix also deploys an additional VM which acts as a gateway and leverages the Tor network to prevent your actual IP address from leaking online. On its own, Whonix is a pretty reliable solution for your security and privacy needs, but it becomes even more useful once you pair it with Qubes...
1 Qubes OS
Because isolation is better than infection
Built on the principle of isolation, Qubes OS leverages the Xen hypervisor to segregate your applications and workloads inside separate virtualized environments, thereby preventing the different apps from interfering with each other. Each environment, or qube, runs its own OS in the form of templates, which range from the more common distros like Debian and Fedora to the privacy-oriented Whonix we mentioned earlier.
Furthermore, you can customize every aspect of your qubes, including the firewall settings, apps, and the IO devices your isolated environments can access. Besides letting you spin (and destroy) as many qubes as you desire, Qubes OS also supports disposable environments, which self-destruct the moment you power them off!
There are a couple of caveats to running a secure OS on your daily driver
Although the distributions we've highlighted in this article can enhance your security considerably, there is no such thing as a hacking/malware-proof PC. Unless you unplug your device from the Internet, there's always the possibility of hackers utilizing some random bug to break into your hardened system.
Also, usability and ease of access are the Achilles Heels of distros that put a lot of emphasis on privacy and security. For instance, FreeBSD is even more complex than Linux, and you'll have to scour through a lot of documentation to use it as your daily driver. Meanwhile, Tails and Whonix can't replace the average desktop operating system and are more suited for privacy-conscious users who despise leaving traces of their activities online. But if you're willing to contend with PCI passthrough and the quirks of gaming on a Linux distro, Qubes OS is the closest you can get to a highly secure general-purpose operating system.
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