Tails 7.11 "Network Unavailable" issue and workaround

Support Tails
1

In Tails 7.11 I discovered a “Network Unavailable” issue.

After lots of trial and error I found turning on Persistent Storage 1st and then selecting Enable networking (default), even though it’s the default, seems to fix it.

Network Unavailable

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Workaround

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When the network was unavailable and attempting to open the Tor Connection Assistant it showed a loading spinning indicator and did not open.

Tests
• Turning off Persistent Storage
• Different Wi-Fi adapter
• Turning on Administration Password (Worked once)
• See if the Wi-Fi was blocked (It wasn’t)

The last thing to test was installing Tails OS on a new USB drive instead of going the upgrade route which fortunately I didn’t need to do.

2

Fortunately the cause seems to be documented in GitLab Unlocking the Persistent Storage can override previous manual changes to the Additional Settings of the Welcome Screen #21763.

3

Further testing today the Administration Password seems to be needed in the Welcome view too for the network settings to load properly.

This is after turning on Persistent Storage and Enable networking (default).

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4

Unfortunately the above workarounds are no longer working. I will re-test with future version updates to see if this hopefully fixed. In the meantime Tails OS is bricked for me without internet access.

  • Today I cleared the USB drive running Tails 7.11 and installed 7.12 with the same result
  • A workaround for Tails OS not being usable is to use a Raspberry Pi as a dedicated secure operating system