Template:Non-functional Onion Services
Sometimes the Debian and/or Whonix onion servers are non-functional. This could be due to DDoS attacks on the Tor network. [1] As a result, updates cannot be completed automatically and an error message similar to the one below will appear.
Command:
sudo apt update
Expected output:
Hit:1 https://security.debian.org trixie/updates InRelease Hit:2 tor+http://deb.dds6qkxpwdeubwucdiaord2xgbbeyds25rbsgr73tbfpqpt4a6vjwsyd.onion trixie InRelease Ign:3 https://ftp.us.debian.org/debian trixie InRelease Hit:4 https://deb.whonix.org trixie InRelease Hit:5 https://ftp.us.debian.org/debian trixie Release Err:7 tor+http://5ajw6aqf3ep7sijnscdzw77t7xq4xjpsy335yb2wiwgouo7yfxtjlmid.onion trixie/updates InRelease SOCKS proxy socks5h://localhost:9050 could not connect to 5ajw6aqf3ep7sijnscdzw77t7xq4xjpsy335yb2wiwgouo7yfxtjlmid.onion (0.0.0.0:0) due to: Host unreachable (6) Err:8 tor+http://2s4yqjx5ul6okpp3f2gaunr2syex5jgbfpfvhxxbbjwnrsvbk5v3qbid.onion/debian trixie InRelease SOCKS proxy socks5h://localhost:9050 could not connect to 2s4yqjx5ul6okpp3f2gaunr2syex5jgbfpfvhxxbbjwnrsvbk5v3qbid.onion (0.0.0.0:0) due to: Host unreachable (6) Reading package lists… Done W: Failed to fetch tor+http://5ajw6aqf3ep7sijnscdzw77t7xq4xjpsy335yb2wiwgouo7yfxtjlmid.onion/dists/trixie/updates/InRelease SOCKS proxy socks5h://localhost:9050 could not connect to 5ajw6aqf3ep7sijnscdzw77t7xq4xjpsy335yb2wiwgouo7yfxtjlmid.onion (0.0.0.0:0) due to: Host unreachable (6) W: Failed to fetch tor+http://2s4yqjx5ul6okpp3f2gaunr2syex5jgbfpfvhxxbbjwnrsvbk5v3qbid.onion/debian/dists/trixie/InRelease SOCKS proxy socks5h://localhost:9050 could not connect to 2s4yqjx5ul6okpp3f2gaunr2syex5jgbfpfvhxxbbjwnrsvbk5v3qbid.onion (0.0.0.0:0) due to: Host unreachable (6) W: Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old ones used instead.
Until the onion service is re-established, complete the following steps in Whonix-Gateway™ (whonix-gateway-18) and Whonix-Workstation™ (whonix-workstation-18) to circumvent the issue. [2] [3]
1. Open the Debian sources in an editor.
Open file /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.sources in an editor with administrative ("root") rights.
1 Select your platform.
2 Notes.
- Sudoedit guidance: See
Open File with Root Rights
for details on why using sudoeditimproves security and how to use it. - Editor requirement: Close Featherpad (or the chosen text editor) before running the
sudoeditcommand.
3 Open the file with root rights.
sudoedit /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.sources
2 Notes.
- Sudoedit guidance: See Open File with Root Rights for details on why using
sudoeditimproves security and how to use it. - Editor requirement: Close Featherpad (or the chosen text editor) before running the
sudoeditcommand. - Template requirement: When using Qubes-Whonix, this must be done inside the Template.
3 Open the file with root rights.
sudoedit /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.sources
4 Notes.
- Shut down Template: After applying this change, shut down the Template.
- Restart App Qubes: All App Qubes based on the Template need to be restarted if they were already running.
- Qubes persistence: See also Qubes Persistence
- General procedure: This is a general procedure required for Qubes and is unspecific to Qubes-Whonix.
2 Notes.
- Example only: This is just an example. Other tools could achieve the same goal.
- Troubleshooting and alternatives: If this example does not work for you, or if you are not using Whonix, please refer to Open File with Root Rights.
3 Open the file with root rights.
sudoedit /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.sources
2. Disable the onionized Debian repositories and enable the clearnet repositories.
The code blocks should look like this; only these entries require editing. [4]
######## ENABLED SOURCES ######## Types: deb URIs: tor+https://deb.debian.org/debian Suites: trixie trixie-updates trixie-backports Components: main contrib non-free non-free-firmware Enabled: yes # <<<<< change this line from "no" to "yes" Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/debian-archive-keyring.gpg Types: deb URIs: tor+https://deb.debian.org/debian-security Suites: trixie-security Components: main contrib non-free non-free-firmware Enabled: yes # <<<<< change this line from "no" to "yes" Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/debian-archive-keyring.gpg Types: deb URIs: tor+https://fasttrack.debian.net/debian-fasttrack Suites: trixie-fasttrack trixie-backports-staging Components: main contrib non-free Enabled: yes # <<<<< keep this line saying "yes" Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/fasttrack-archive-keyring.gpg ######## DISABLED BY DEFAULT SOURCES ######## #### deb #### Types: deb URIs: tor+http://2s4yqjx5ul6okpp3f2gaunr2syex5jgbfpfvhxxbbjwnrsvbk5v3qbid.onion/debian Suites: trixie trixie-updates trixie-backports Components: main contrib non-free non-free-firmware Enabled: no # <<<<< change this line from "yes" to "no" Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/debian-archive-keyring.gpg Types: deb URIs: tor+http://5ajw6aqf3ep7sijnscdzw77t7xq4xjpsy335yb2wiwgouo7yfxtjlmid.onion/debian-security Suites: trixie-security Components: main contrib non-free non-free-firmware Enabled: no # <<<<< change this line from "yes" to "no" Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/debian-archive-keyring.gpg ## No onion for fasttrack yet: https://salsa.debian.org/fasttrack-team/support/-/issues/27
Save and exit.
3. Confirm the clearnet repositories are functional.
sudo apt update
4. Optional: Revert and update the package lists.
Consider reverting these changes later on, because onion repositories offer various security advantages. Afterwards, apply Updates to refresh the package lists.
- ↑
- ↑
If similar issues occur with Whonix or Qubes onion services then follow the same procedure and modify the
derivative.sourcesandqubes-r4.listfiles, respectively. - ↑
https://forums.whonix.org/t/errors-updating-september-2018/6028
- ↑ https://salsa.debian.org/fasttrack-team/support/-/issues/27.
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