Last Updated on: 5th November 2023, 04:32 pm
Web site: clip-os.org
Origin: France
Category: Security
Desktop environment: CLI
Architecture: x86, x86_64
Based on: Gentoo
Wikipedia: CLIP OS
Media: Install
The last version | Released: 5 beta | December 2019
CLIP OS – an open-source project designed by the National Cybersecurity Agency of France (ANSSI) that aims to build a hardened, multi-level operating system, based on the Linux kernel and a lot of free and open source software. It is currently a research project, it is delivered as-is, without regular development or maintenance guarantee.
CLIP development started in 2005. The project was mentioned in 2015 at the Symposium on the security of information and communication technologies.
In April 2018, ANSSI announced opening of the CLIP OS5 source code. This opening is based on the principles of the “plan for transparent and collaborative public action of the interministerial digital department” which aims to promote both the opening of data and the source code of the tools developed by the administrations and agencies of the State5.
In September 2018, ANSSI released two versions of CLIP OS: stable version no. 4 and version no. 5 in development.
CLIP OS is based on the Hardened Gentoo variant, an offshoot of the Gentoo Linux distribution. The developers noted that while sharing goals with Qubes OS developers, the environment isolation mechanism is different. Additionally, administrators of a CLIP operating system will not be able to access user data, unlike a Qubes-based system.
The latest version of the system is presented in October 2018 at the Monaco Security and Information Systems Conference.
