sandsOS

Like sand through your fingers, your data remains your own.

sandsOS is a privacy-focused, Debian-based Linux distribution built for users who demand security, minimalism, and freedom from surveillance.

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⚠️ Current Status: v0.1-alpha (Pre-release)

This is the very first alpha build of sandsOS. It is intended for testing and development purposes only.

Known Issues:

• Critical: The graphical user interface (XFCE Desktop) does not load automatically on boot. The system currently boots to a command-line terminal. This is the top priority for the next release.

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About The Project

In an era of pervasive tracking and data collection, sandsOS is an experiment in digital sovereignty. The guiding principle is simple: the user should be in absolute control of their system and their data. We achieve this through a curated selection of open-source privacy tools, system-level hardening, and a commitment to transparency.

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Key Features in v0.1-alpha

Even in this early stage, sandsOS includes several core privacy enhancements:

• Default Firewall (UFW): All incoming connections are blocked by default to reduce attack surface.
• MAC Address Randomization: macchanger anonymizes your hardware address to prevent local network tracking.
• Secure File Deletion: BleachBit is included to securely clean up unnecessary system files and sensitive user data.
• Metadata Stripping: MAT2 (Metadata Anonymization Toolkit) is available to strip identifying metadata from documents, images, and files before sharing.
• Hardened Web Browser: Firefox ESR is installed with the Arkenfox user.js project for advanced tracking, fingerprinting, and telemetry resistance.

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Getting Started (For Testers)

1. Download the ISO
Go to the Releases page and download the sandsOS.v0.1.iso file.

2. Verify the Download (Important!)
Before using the ISO, verify its integrity. The SHA256 hash for the file is listed on the release page.

• On Linux: sha256sum sandsOS.v0.1.iso
• On Windows (PowerShell): Get-FileHash sandsOS.v0.1.iso

3. Create a Virtual Machine It is highly recommended to test this release in a virtual machine (like VirtualBox or VMware) rather than on bare metal.

© 2025 sandOS – Privacy is not optional.