Security and privacy
Secure by default.Private by design.
Most operating systems make you choose between safe and simple. Wild OS starts from Debian with a deep layer of security hardening, and does the hard work of making it easy.
Defence in depth
Layer on layer.
No single protection is perfect, so Wild OS stacks them. Each ring makes an attack harder, and most are on from the moment you install.
The foundation
Hardened from the kernel up.
Wild OS starts from Debian and adds an established open source hardening layer, the same one people rely on when they need to stay anonymous. It changes many defaults that ordinary Linux leaves open.
Hardened kernel settings
Restrictions on how programs can inspect each other and the kernel, making common attack techniques much harder.
AppArmor confinement
Profiles limit what system services and apps can touch, so a compromised program stays boxed in.
Secure by default
Unneeded services are off, the only one open to your network finds printers and screens, and sensible choices are made for you rather than left as homework. A firewall turns away any incoming connection you didn't ask for.
Your data
Encrypted from day one.
Encryption isn't an option buried in an advanced menu. The installer turns it on, explains it in one sentence, and gives you a recovery key.
Apps
Everything asks first.
Apps from the Store run in a sandbox, with permissions you can see and change. Store apps ask before they use your camera or microphone, and system settings always need your password.
Ask each time
Including Windows apps.
Your password first
Installing software or changing settings that affect everyone needs you to confirm.
Sealed off
Its own private network, only the folders you share, and a repair that puts Windows back to how it was after setup.
Updates
Updates on your terms.
Security fixes install quietly in the background. Anything that needs a restart waits for you to pick the time. Never again a computer that restarts itself mid-sentence.
Checked before they install
Every update is signed and verified, so nobody can slip something in on the way.
Stable or beta
Stable gets tested releases. Beta gets new features first, and you can switch back in Settings.
Never mid-sentence
Pick the time Wild OS restarts, or let it wait until no one is signed in.
No telemetry
What we never collect.
There's no account to create and nothing to opt out of. Wild OS sends no usage data, crash reports or identifiers anywhere. Windows in Windows mode still talks to Microsoft, with its data collection turned down as far as Microsoft allows.
- Your name, email or an account
- What you search for
- Which apps you use, or for how long
- Your files, photos or messages
- Your location
- Advertising identifiers
How it compares
Protected out of the box.
Unless a note says otherwise, everything on the Wild OS side is on from the moment it's installed. Here's how that stacks up against a standard Debian desktop and Windows 11 as they come.
| Feature | Wild OS | Debian | Windows 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-disk encryption, key stays with you | Yes. On from install | Partly. Optional, off unless chosen | Partly. Often on, key uploaded to your Microsoft account |
| No account needed | Yes | Yes | No. Microsoft account at setup |
| No telemetry or ads | Yes. None, and it can't be switched on | Yes. Package survey is opt-in | No. Required diagnostics, ads in Start |
| Windows programs kept away from your files and network | Yes. Sandboxed in Windows mode, which sees only the folders you share and not your home network | Not applicable. Can't run them | No. Full access to your files |
| Updates never force a restart | Yes | Yes | No. Restarts outside active hours |
| Encrypted DNS by default | Yes. Quad9 first, encrypted when the network allows | No | Partly. Opt-in |
| New random Wi-Fi MAC address on every connection | Yes | No | Partly. Opt-in |
| Built-in VPN kill switch | Yes | No | No |
| Block unknown USB devices | Yes. On from install; sticks, audio, webcams and a first keyboard and mouse work straight away | No | Partly. Pro only, through Group Policy |
| Memory wiped at shutdown | Yes. Against cold-boot attacks, on real hardware | No | No |
| Strictest protection against CPU flaws | Yes. Spectre, MDS, L1TF and more | Partly. Default protection | Partly. Default protection |
| Three protection levels | Yes. Standard, Strict, Maximum | No | No |
| Open source | Yes | Yes | No |
See all 49 protections
Disk, start-up and sign-in
| Feature | Wild OS | Debian | Windows 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-disk encryption | Yes. On, set up at install, with a recovery key you keep | Partly. Optional, off unless chosen | Partly. Device encryption or BitLocker on many new PCs; recovery key uploaded to your Microsoft account |
| Secure Boot | Yes. Supported | Yes. Supported | Yes. Supported |
| Memory wiped at shutdown | Yes. Against cold-boot attacks, on real hardware | No | No |
| Recovery and emergency shells kept out of the boot menu | Yes. No recovery entry; start-up emergencies halt | No. Recovery entry in the boot menu | Not applicable. Different model |
| Account lockout after repeated wrong passwords | Yes | No | Yes |
| Home folder private to its owner | Yes | Yes. On new installs | Yes |
| Admin password for system changes | Yes. Remembered for a few minutes | Yes | Partly. Admin accounts just click Yes |
| No account required | Yes | Yes | No. Microsoft account at setup, Home and Pro |
Kernel and memory
| Feature | Wild OS | Debian | Windows 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardened kernel: memory zeroed on allocation and free, randomised stack and page allocation, debug interfaces off | Yes | Partly. Kernel defaults | Partly. Its own exploit protections (ASLR, CFG) |
| Strictest CPU flaw protection (Spectre, MDS, L1TF, Retbleed and more) | Yes. Hyper-threading off unless you choose speed for Windows mode | Partly. Default protection | Partly. Default protection |
| IOMMU forced on, early DMA blocked (against devices reading memory) | Yes | Partly. Kernel defaults | Partly. Kernel DMA protection on supported PCs |
| Kernel addresses and logs hidden from programs | Yes | Partly. Partly | Not applicable |
| Programs can't inspect or debug each other | Yes | No | Not applicable. Different model |
| Risky kernel features off: kexec, io_uring, unprivileged BPF, SysRq, 32-bit compatibility | Yes | Partly. Some | Not applicable |
| Rarely used filesystems and network protocols disabled | Yes. DCCP, SCTP, TIPC, RDS, CAN and others | No | Not applicable |
| Extra randomness sources; CPU and bootloader randomness not trusted alone | Yes | No | Not applicable |
| No crash dumps left on disk | Yes | Yes | No. Writes memory dumps |
| Virus scanner | Partly. Defender stays on inside Windows mode for Windows programs; Wild OS itself relies on confinement | No | Yes. Defender, on |
Apps
| Feature | Wild OS | Debian | Windows 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AppArmor confinement with extra profiles | Yes. Extra profiles, including Thunderbird and Tor Browser | Partly. On, fewer profiles | Not applicable. Not applicable |
| Store apps sandboxed | Yes. Flathub apps, in Flatpak's sandbox; how tight depends on the app | No. Flatpak not installed | Partly. Some Store apps; most programs not |
| App permissions: camera, microphone, location, files, internet | Yes. For Store apps | No | Partly. No per-app internet control |
| Apps ask before using camera or microphone | Partly. Store apps ask; other apps don't | No | Partly. Store apps ask; desktop programs follow one switch |
| Windows programs kept away from your files and home network | Yes. Sandboxed in Windows mode, which sees only the folders you share and not your home network | Not applicable. Not applicable | No. Full access to your files |
Devices
| Feature | Wild OS | Debian | Windows 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block unknown USB devices (fake keyboards, BadUSB) | Yes. On from install; unexpected devices wait for you, and Strict also holds back those present at start-up | No | Partly. Pro only, through Group Policy |
| Thunderbolt and FireWire ports disabled against DMA attacks | Yes. Thunderbolt docks won't work | No | No. Kernel DMA protection instead, on supported PCs |
| Camera switched off | Partly. At the driver, at Maximum | No | Yes. In Settings |
| Camera, Bluetooth and network discovery off in one step | Partly. At Maximum | No | No |
| Firmware updates | Yes. fwupd | Yes. fwupd | Yes. Through Windows Update |
Network
| Feature | Wild OS | Debian | Windows 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected from incoming connections | Yes. Firewall on; only printer and screen discovery is let in, and not at Maximum | Partly. Printer discovery and printing are open; no firewall installed | Yes. Firewall on; some services listen behind it |
| Encrypted DNS by default | Yes. Quad9 first, encrypted when the network allows | No | Partly. Opt-in |
| Random Wi-Fi hardware (MAC) address for every connection | Yes | No | Partly. Opt-in |
| Computer name kept from the router (DHCP) | Partly. Not sent to the router; discovery still shows it on your network | No | No |
| Hardened network stack: no ping replies, redirects, source routing or TCP timestamps | Yes | Partly. Some | Partly. Partly |
| VPN kill switch built in | Yes | No | No |
| Network discovery off | Partly. At Maximum | Not applicable | Partly. Asked per network |
Updates
| Feature | Wild OS | Debian | Windows 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signed updates | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic security updates | Yes. For Debian's packages | Partly. Offered at install | Yes |
| Debian packages and security updates downloaded over Tor | Yes. Wild OS's own updates, its hardening packages, Brave and Flathub use HTTPS | No | Not applicable. Not applicable |
| Clock set over Tor from several sources | Yes. No single time server to trust | No. Plain NTP | No. Plain NTP to Microsoft |
| Never forces a restart | Yes. Restarts wait for you | Yes | No. Restarts outside active hours |
Privacy
| Feature | Wild OS | Debian | Windows 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telemetry | Yes. None, and it can't be switched on | Yes. None; package survey is opt-in | No. Required diagnostic data can't be turned off |
| No advertising ID or ads in Start | Yes | Yes | No |
| No crash reports sent | Yes | Yes | No |
| Start search stays on your PC | Yes | Yes | No. Sent to Bing |
| No location service | Yes | Yes | Partly. Asked at setup |
| Data collection inside Windows mode | Partly. Turned down as far as Microsoft allows; Windows ads removed | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Three protection levels | Yes. Standard, Strict, Maximum | No | No |
| Live security status in plain English | Yes. Taskbar shield | No | Yes. Windows Security app |
| Open source | Yes | Yes | No |
Wild OS checked against the 8 November 2026 build. Debian means a standard Debian 13 desktop install with the default choices; Windows 11 means Home or Pro as it comes out of the box. Strict and Maximum are the two higher protection levels in Settings.
Don't take our word for it.
Wild OS is open source. Every line is public on GitHub, so anyone can check what it does and doesn't do. No system is perfectly secure, and we'd rather be honest about that than promise the impossible.