Installing and configuring Tor. Install and use TOR browser

• Translation

Tor is an anonymity tool used by people seeking privacy and fighting internet censorship. Over time, Tor began to cope with its task very, very well. Therefore, the security, stability and speed of this network are critical to the people who rely on it.

But how does Tor work under the hood? In this article, we will dive into the structure and protocols used on the network to get a closer look at how Tor works.

A Brief History of Tor

The concept of onion routing (we'll explain the name later) was first proposed in 1995. Initially, this research was funded by the Department of Naval Research, and then in 1997, DARPA joined the project. Since then, the Tor Project has been funded by various sponsors, and not so long ago the project won a donation campaign on reddit.

The modern version of Tor software was open sourced in October 2003, and was already the 3rd generation of onion routing software. The idea is that we wrap traffic in encrypted layers (like an onion) to protect the data and anonymity of the sender and recipient.

Tor Basics

Now that we've sorted out the history, let's get down to the operating principles. At the highest level, Tor works by forwarding your computer's connection to targets (for example, google.com) through several intermediary computers, or relays.



Packet path: guard node, intermediate node, exit node, destination

Currently (February 2015) there are about 6,000 routers transmitting traffic on the Tor network. They are located all over the world and are powered by volunteers who agree to donate some traffic to a good cause. It is important that most nodes do not have any special hardware or additional software - they all run using Tor software configured to work as a node.

The speed and anonymity of the Tor network depends on the number of nodes - the more, the better! And this is understandable, since the traffic of one node is limited. The more nodes you have to choose from, the harder it is to track a user.

Node types

By default, Tor forwards traffic through 3 nodes. Each of them has its own role (we will analyze them in detail later).

Client, security node, intermediate node, exit node, destination

Entrance or guard node is the entry point into the network. The input nodes are selected from those that operate for a long time and have proven to be stable and high-speed.
Intermediate node – transmits traffic from security to exit nodes. As a result, the former know nothing about the latter.
Exit node - the point of exit from the network, sends traffic to the destination that the client needs.

A generally safe method for running a sentinel or intermediate node is a virtual server (DigitalOcean, EC2) - in this case, server operators will only see encrypted traffic.

But exit node operators have a special responsibility. Since they send traffic to the destination, all illegal activities done through Tor will be associated with the exit node. And this can lead to police raids, notices of illegal activities and other things.

Meet the exit node operator - thank him. He deserves it.

What does onion have to do with it?

Having understood the route of connections going through the nodes, we ask ourselves the question - how can we trust them? Can you be sure that they won't hack the connection and extract all the data from it? In short, we don’t need to trust them!

The Tor network is designed so that nodes can be treated with minimal trust. This is achieved through encryption.

So what about bulbs? Let's look at how encryption works during the process of establishing a client connection through the Tor network.

The client encrypts the data so that only the exit node can decrypt it.
This data is then encrypted again so that only the intermediate node can decrypt it.
And then this data is again encrypted so that only the sentinel node can decrypt it

It turns out that we wrapped the original data in layers of encryption - like an onion. As a result, each node has only the information it needs - where the encrypted data came from and where it should be sent. This encryption is useful for everyone - the client’s traffic is not open, and the nodes are not responsible for the content of the transmitted data.

Note: output nodes can see the source data because they need to send it to the destination. Therefore, they can extract valuable information from traffic sent in clear text over HTTP and FTP!

Nodes and Bridges: The Problem with Nodes

Once the Tor client starts, it needs to get lists of all entry, intermediate, and exit nodes. And this list is not a secret - later I will tell you how it is distributed (you can search the documentation for the word “concensus”). Publicity of the list is necessary, but there is a problem with it.

To understand it, let's pretend to be an attacker and ask ourselves: what would an Authoritarian Government (AP) do? By thinking this way, we can understand why Tor is designed the way it is.

So what would AP do? Censorship is a serious matter, and Tor allows you to bypass it, so the AP would want to block users from accessing Tor. There are two ways to do this:

• block users leaving Tor;
• block users logging into Tor.

The first is possible, and this is the free choice of the owner of the router or website. He just needs to download a list of Tor exit nodes and block all traffic from them. This will be bad, but Tor can't do anything about it.

The second option is seriously worse. Blocking users leaving Tor can prevent them from visiting a particular service, and blocking all incoming users will prevent them from going to any sites - Tor will become useless for those users who already suffer from censorship, as a result of which they turned to this service. And if Tor only had nodes, this would be possible, since the AP can download a list of sentinel nodes and block traffic to them.

It's good that the Tor developers thought about this and came up with a clever solution to the problem. Get to know the bridges.

Bridges

Essentially, bridges are nodes that are not publicly available. Users behind censorship walls can use them to access the Tor network. But if they aren't published, how do users know where to look for them? Is there a special list needed? We'll talk about it later, but in short, yes - there is a list of bridges that the project developers are working on.

It's just not public. Instead, users can receive a small list of bridges to connect to the rest of the network. This list, BridgeDB, only gives users a few bridges at a time. This is reasonable, since they don’t need many bridges at once.

By issuing several bridges, you can prevent the network from being blocked by an Authoritarian Government. Of course, by receiving information about new nodes, you can block them, but can anyone discover all the bridges?

Can someone discover all the bridges

The list of bridges is strictly confidential. If the AP receives this list, it will be able to completely block Tor. Therefore, network developers conducted research into the possibility of obtaining a list of all bridges.

I will describe in detail two items from this list, 2nd and 6th, since these were the methods used to gain access to the bridges. In point 6, the researchers scanned the entire IPv4 space using the ZMap port scanner in search of Tor bridges, and found between 79% and 86% of all bridges.

The 2nd point involves launching an intermediate Tor node that can monitor requests coming to it. Only sentinel nodes and bridges access an intermediate node - and if the accessed node is not in the public list of nodes, then it is obvious that this node is a bridge. This is a serious challenge to Tor, or any other network. Since users cannot be trusted, it is necessary to make the network as anonymous and closed as possible, which is why the network is designed that way.

Consensus

Let's look at how the network functions at a lower level. How it is organized and how to find out which nodes in the network are active. We have already mentioned that in a network there is a list of nodes and a list of bridges. Let's talk about who makes these lists.

Each Tor client contains fixed information about 10 powerful nodes maintained by trusted volunteers. They have a special task - to monitor the state of the entire network. They are called directory authorities (DA, list managers).

They are distributed around the world and are responsible for distributing a constantly updated list of all known Tor nodes. They choose which nodes to work with and when.

Why 10? It is usually not a good idea to make a committee of an even number of members so that there is no tie in the voting. The bottom line is that 9 DAs deal with lists of nodes, and one DA (Tonga) deals with lists of bridges

DA List

Reaching Consensus

So how do DAs keep the network running?

The status of all nodes is contained in an updated document called "consensus". DAs support it and update it hourly by voting. Here's how it happens:

• each DA creates a list of known nodes;
• then calculates all other data - node flags, traffic weights, etc.;
• sends the data as a “status vote” to everyone else;
• gets everyone else's votes;
• combines and signs all parameters of all voices;
• sends signed data to others;
• a majority of DAs must agree on the data and confirm that there is consensus;
• the consensus is published by each DA.

The consensus is published over HTTP so that everyone can download the latest version. You can check it yourself by downloading the consensus via Tor or through the tor26 gate.

And what does it mean?

Anatomy of consensus

Just reading the specification, this document is difficult to understand. I like visual representation to understand how the structure works. For this I made a poster in corkami style. And here is a (clickable) graphical representation of this document.

What happens if the node goes wild

In our detailed examination of the principles of network operation, we have not yet touched upon the principles of operation of output nodes. These are the last links in the Tor chain, providing a path from the client to the server. Because they send data to its destination, they can see it as if it had just left the device.

This transparency implies a great deal of trust in the exit nodes, and they usually behave responsibly. But not always. So what happens when an exit node operator decides to turn on Tor users?

The case of the sniffers

Tor exit nodes are almost the standard example of a man-in-the-middle (MitM). This means that any unencrypted communication protocols (FTP, HTTP, SMTP) can be monitored by it. And these are logins and passwords, cookies, uploaded and downloaded files.

Exit nodes can see traffic as if it had just left the device.

The catch is that there is nothing we can do about it (except using encrypted protocols). Sniffing, passively listening to the network, does not require active participation, so the only defense is to understand the problem and avoid transmitting sensitive data without encryption.

But let’s say the exit node operator decides to do major damage to the network. Listening is a fool's business. Let's modify the traffic!

Making the most of it

Recall that the exit node operator is responsible for ensuring that traffic flowing from and to the client is not modified. Yeah of course…

Let's see in what ways it can be changed.

SSL MiTM & sslstrip

SSL spoils everything when we try to mess with users. Fortunately for attackers, many sites have problems with its implementation, allowing us to trick the user into unencrypted connections. Examples are redirecting from HTTP to HTTPS, enabling HTTP content on HTTPS sites, etc.

A convenient tool for exploiting vulnerabilities is sslstrip. We only need to pass all outgoing traffic through it, and in many cases we will be able to harm the user. Of course, we can simply use a self-signed certificate and look into the SSL traffic passing through the node. Easily!

Let's hook browsers to BeEF

Having examined the details of the traffic, you can begin sabotage. For example, you can use the BeEF framework to gain control over browsers. We can then use the Metasploit function “browser autopwn”, which will result in the host being compromised and allowing us to execute commands on it. We've arrived!..

Back door binaries

Let's say binaries are downloaded through our node - software or updates to it. Sometimes the user may not even be aware that updates are being downloaded. We just need to add a backdoor to them using tools like The Backdoor Factory. Then, after executing the program, the host will be compromised. We've arrived again!..

How to catch Walter White

While most Tor exit nodes are well-behaved, it is not uncommon for some of them to behave destructively. All the attacks we talked about in theory have already taken place.

In part, the developers thought about this and developed a precaution against clients using bad output nodes. It works as a flag in a consensus called BadExit.

To solve the problem of catching bad exit nodes, a clever exitmap system has been developed. It works like this: for each output node, a Python module is launched, which handles logins, downloading files, and so on. The results of his work are then recorded.

Exitmap works using the Stem library (designed to work with Tor from Python) to help build diagrams for each exit node. Simple but effective.

Exitmap was created in 2013 as part of the "spoiled onions" program. The authors found 65 exit nodes that change traffic. It turns out that although this is not a disaster (at the time of operation there were about 1000 output nodes), the problem is serious enough to monitor violations. Therefore, exitmap still works and is supported to this day.

In another example, the researcher simply made a fake login page and logged in through each exit node. Then the server's HTTP logs were viewed for examples of login attempts. Many nodes tried to penetrate the site using the login and password used by the author.

This problem is not unique to Tor.

It's important to note that this is not just a problem with Tor. There are already quite a lot of nodes between you and the photo of the cat you want to look at. It only takes one person with hostile intentions to cause a lot of damage. The best thing to do here is to force encryption to be enabled where possible. If traffic cannot be recognized, it cannot be easily modified.

And remember that this is just an example of bad operator behavior, not the norm. The vast majority of exit nodes take their role very seriously and deserve great gratitude for all the risks they take in the name of the free flow of information.

Rate it

Hello! Today I will tell you about how to use the Tor browser, about its installation, configuration, and removal.

Tor browser ( T he O nion R outer) - in Russian the Tor browser, less often Onion - a specially developed open source browser for implementing the so-called onion routing. This browser is based on a system of proxy servers that allow you to establish an anonymous network connection.

UPD 19.05: In connection with the new law, the VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Yandex and several other sites were closed in Ukraine. The Tor browser will also help you bypass ISP blocking and you will be able to use VK and other sites. Read my instructions and start using the Tor browser; if anything is unclear to you, feel free to write in the comments, I will help you.

The Tor browser is most popular among:

• Hackers
• Cryptocurrency users, including
• Paranoid
• People who wish to remain anonymous forever
• People whose access to any site is blocked (hello Roskomnadzor)

Tor helps you easily bypass site blocking from Roskomnadzor, for example, recently in Russia.

How to install the Tor browser

1. Follow this link, the site will automatically detect your operating system and offer you to download the appropriate version, if the version does not suit you, then click View All Downoalds.
   If the version is determined correctly, select the language that suits you, click the Download button and save the installation file.
   
   
2. Next, run the installation file you just downloaded and select the installation language.
   
3. Then select the installation folder and click Install.
   
   Next, the installation process will begin, which usually takes less than a minute.
   
   
   
4. Once installation is complete, click Finish
   
   
5. You are already one step away from using the browser, all that remains is to connect to the network, to do this you just need to click Connect.
   More advanced users who understand proxy servers and need more flexible settings can configure the connection themselves by clicking Configure.
   
   Next, the program will automatically connect to the network, it only took me a couple of seconds.
   
   
6. That's all! You are already in the browser, which you can start using. First, you can try going to some blocked site, for example, the recently blocked LocalBitcoins.com (If you are in Russia).
7. I also advise you to check the Tor network settings by clicking on the link of the same name.
   
   Then click Yes.
   
   
   If you receive a message like this, it means your browser has been successfully configured!
   
   

How to change IP address in Tor

In order to change your IP address in this browser, you just need to make a couple of clicks.

To demonstrate this to you, I went to the 2ip.ru website, now it shows that I am in the UK.

To change the address, you need to click on the bow and select New Identity (or press the key combination CTRL+SHIFT+U), and then click Yes.
By the way, here you can see the chain through which I am connected: France - USA - Great Britain.


As you can see, the connection chain has changed and now I have a different IP address, which is located in Slovakia. Sometimes, when you change your identity, the IP address may remain the same, but the connection chain will change.
To completely change your address, try changing your identity several times.

Setting up the Tor browser

In principle, the browser is already configured to work with it, but I will show you a few settings that may also interest you:

To access your browser settings, open the menu by clicking on the button in the upper right corner and select Settings.

How to change the home page in Tor:

Change your home page to Google, for example. To do this, go to the Basic tab and write the address of the desired site.

How to change the download folder in Tor:

In the same tab, you can change the standard download folder so that you are not constantly asked where to save the file. I chose to save to my desktop.

Changing the search engine in Tor:

In the Search tab, you can change the search engine, setting for example Google.

Disable tracking and remembering history:

Websites often collect information about us, such as location data (to display the weather).
You can prevent them from tracking you. To do this, open the Privacy tab and select “Ask sites not to track me.”
You can also completely disable history memorization.

How to increase protection in the Tor browser:

And the last piece of advice from me is to block suspicious sites.
In the protection tab, check block sites.

How to remove Tor browser

You will not find a file on your computer to uninstall the browser, since it is installed in portable mode. All program files are stored in the folder where you installed the program.

In order to remove the Tor browser, you will need to close it, end the Tor process in the task manager (if it is still running), and also completely delete the program folder, that's all!

Conclusion

If you are an active Bitcoin user and love anonymity, then you should like this browser!

If you cannot access any website due to blocking by your provider, then the Tor browser will also help you a lot!

Another difference of this browser is that with its help you can visit the so-called Deep Web, which is not indexed by conventional search engines and whose sites cannot be entered just like that.

Typically, these sites contain information that is prohibited, and on the Deep Web you can also find various stores of weapons and prohibited psychotropic substances; it is these stores that bring a bad reputation to this segment of the Internet.

However, sites that operate only on the Tor network are interesting, useful and completely legal.
You can find a list of some of them by googling "Sites.onion"

Tor Browser provides anonymity while browsing the Internet. In addition, it allows you to bypass website blocking. Thanks to these qualities, it is very popular among users.

What is Tor Browser

The Tor system was developed in the early 2000s in a US Navy laboratory. The source code of the technology was made publicly available so that anyone could check the development for errors and vulnerabilities.

Tor software is based on onion routing technology: Tor users create nodes, and the system forms chains from them through which encrypted information is transmitted.

Tor Browser is the official browser from The Tor Project, Inc. There are versions for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android. Distributed through the official website.

Advantages:

• easy installation. Despite the complex operating principle, the browser is installed as simply as regular software;
• easy to use. The browser is used in the same way as Google Chrome, Mozilla or Opera without additional manipulations;
• anonymity. The user does not leave any traces when visiting sites;
• bypassing blockages. The browser allows you to access prohibited sites.

Flaws:

• Long loading times for web pages. Due to the onion routing system, each request goes through a chain of nodes, which increases response time;
• lack of Flash Player. The browser prevents third-party applications from collecting location information and other personal information requested by Flash Player.

Installing Tor Browser

The browser is distributed free of charge, so you can try it now. First, make sure your PC meets the minimum system requirements.

Table: system requirements for Windows

OS Windows version	XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10
CPU frequency	1.5 GHz
Video memory	64 MB
Hard disk space	120 MB
RAM	256 MB

The required characteristics are quite low. The browser will work quickly for most users.

How to find out the version and language of the installed file

Before downloading the installation file, you can view its version and change the browser language. Here's how to do it:

1. Go to the download page.
2. The file version will be written in the “Version” line. For example, Version 7.5.3.

   The file version will be written in the “Version” line

3. The file language can be viewed and changed under the large purple “Download” button. English is selected by default. Click on "English" to open the list, and select "Russian" if you want to use the browser in Russian.

   To change the language, click on the current language (highlighted in red) and select “Russian” in the list (highlighted in green)

Installation instructions

Follow the steps instructions:

1. Go to the browser's official website. No registration required. Click on the "Download" button at the top right of the screen.

   To go to the download page, click on the “Download” button

2. Change the file language to Russian, as shown above. Click on the big purple "Download" button.

   Don't forget to specify the file language before downloading

3. Wait for the download to finish and run the installer by opening the file.

   The location of the loading bar may vary in different browsers

4. Select Russian language for the installer.

   If Russian is not the default language, click on it (highlighted in green), select "Russian" and click "OK" (highlighted in red)

5. In the installation folder selection line, you can select the desired directory by clicking on “Browse...”, or leave it as default. After that, click “Install”.

   Select a directory by clicking on “Browse...” to the right of the red rectangle, or leave it as default; then click on the “Install” button

6. To create shortcuts on the desktop and in the Start menu, check the box next to “Add Start Menu & Desktop shortcuts”. To launch Tor Browser right now, check the box next to “Launch Tor Browser”. Click "Done."

   To create shortcuts in the Start menu and on the desktop, select the option highlighted in yellow; to launch Tor Browser, select the item highlighted in green; click the "Done" button highlighted in red

7. The browser is installed!

Video: installation and first setup of Tor Browser

Browser settings

When you first launch the browser, it will open a window with a connection to Tor. Unless you're in a country that prohibits Tor or connecting from a private network that requires a proxy, click Connect.

To connect, click the “Connect” button

The browser will connect to the Tor network and a new tab will open.

Wait for the connection to be created

Here's how to set up the network:

1. Enter the settings by clicking the “Customize” button.

   To go to the settings, click on the “Configure” button

2. If Tor is banned in your country, select the “Tor is banned in my country” option.

   If Tor is illegal in your country, select this option

3. By default, Select Built-in Bridge is selected. Bridges are unregistered relays that make it difficult to block connections to the Tor network. Different types of bridges use different methods to avoid being blocked by censors. Bypass devices make traffic appear to be random noise and pretend to be connected to that service instead of Tor. Leave this option enabled if you do not know other bridges. To finish, click “Connect”.

   Leave the “Select built-in bridge” option if you don’t know other bridges, then click the “Connect” button

4. If you know a bridge that you can connect to, select Specify a bridge I know and enter the bridge information in the field. Then click "Connect".

   Select "Specify a bridge I know" (highlighted in red) and enter the address in the field (highlighted in green), then click on the "Connect" button (highlighted in purple)

5. If you are using a proxy, select "I use a proxy to connect to the Internet."

   If you are connecting through a proxy, select this item

6. Enter your proxy server information. To finish, click “Connect”.

   In the brown rectangle, indicate the type of proxy, in the red - its address, in the green - the port, in purple and blue - the username and password; then click on the “Connect” button highlighted in yellow

Browser settings

Here's how to access settings:

Let's go through the internal settings of the program:

• in the “Basic” category you can customize the start page, specify the path for saving files and configure the order in which tabs open;

  Launch settings are highlighted in red, file download settings are highlighted in green, tab options are highlighted in blue.

• in the “Search” section you can configure the default search engine, as well as add other search engines;
  

  By clicking on the item in the red rectangle, you can set the default search engine

• In the “Content” category you can find adjustments for notifications and pop-ups. Here you can set the font and language for displaying web pages;

  Notification settings are highlighted in red, pop-up windows in green, fonts and colors in blue, languages ​​in yellow.

• In the “Applications” section you can configure built-in browser add-ons. For example, change the program for reading pdf files;

  By clicking on the “Preview in Tor Browser” button (highlighted in red), you can select a program for reading pdf files (highlighted in blue)

• in the “Privacy” category you can disable browsing history and tracking protection;

  Tracking protection settings are highlighted in red, history and cookie storage are in green, auto-input in the address bar is in blue.

• The “Protection” section contains browser security settings. You can enable blocking of dangerous content on web pages, configure login storage;

  The settings for warning about installing add-ons and blocking dangerous content are highlighted in red and green, and the settings for storing logins are highlighted in purple.

• in the “Synchronization” category, you can log into your Firefox account to synchronize bookmarks, tabs and passwords;

  To sign in to your Firefox account, click “Sign in” (highlighted in green) or create a new one by clicking on “Create a new account” (highlighted in red)

• There are five sections in the “Additional” section, navigation through them is in the line below the title. The “General” section contains settings for page scrolling and advanced browser features;

  You can enable advanced browser features by checking the boxes next to the desired items in the red rectangle, and configure website viewing options in the orange rectangle

• in the “Network” category in additional settings you can clear the application and web content cache, set up a Tor connection to the Internet;

  You can configure Tor Browser's connection to the Internet by clicking on the "Configure..." button (highlighted in purple), configure the page cache (highlighted in red) and application cache (highlighted in blue)

• the “Updates” section in additional settings contains settings for updating the browser and search plugins;

  You can manage program updates (highlighted in red) and enable auto-update of plugins (highlighted in green)

• The “Certificates” category in additional settings contains settings for requesting certificates from servers. A certificate is a file that uniquely identifies servers. The purpose of a certificate is to provide a secure connection between the server and the user's browser.

  Certificate issuance settings are highlighted in red; to view certificates, click on the “View Certificates” button (highlighted in purple)

Creating a New Identity

Tor supports the ability to quickly change a set of nodes. This will clear all cookies and change the IP address. Here's how to change your identity on the Tor network:

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+U or the onion icon at the top left of the address bar.

   Click on the onion icon (highlighted in red)

2. In the list that opens, select “New Identity”.

   Click on “New Identity”

3. Confirm by clicking “Confirm” in the new window.

   Click on the “Confirm” button indicated by the red arrow; If you don’t want to receive any more warnings, select “Don’t ask again”

4. Ready! You now have a new identity.

NoScript extension

NoScript is an extension that blocks the execution of JavaScript, Java, Flash and other potentially dangerous components of HTML pages. It is present in Tor Browser by default. Here's how to set it up:

1. Click on the extension icon in the upper left corner of the window.

   The arrow points to the NoScript extension icon

2. Select Settings.

   Select “Settings...” from the drop-down menu

3. Go to the “White List” tab.

   Navigation is at the top, the White List button is highlighted in red

4. Uncheck the "Global script permission" box.

   Uncheck "Global script permission"

5. Go to the "Built-in objects" tab.

   Go to the "Built-in Objects" tab, highlighted in red

6. All items must be checked except for “Do not show placeholder...” and “Collapse blocked objects.” Click OK.

   Check the boxes in accordance with those highlighted in the screenshot and click on “OK”

Adjusting Security Settings

You can configure the most appropriate security level yourself. For this:

1. Repeat the first step from the previous instructions by opening the menu.
2. Select "Security Settings".

   Click on the onion button and select "Security Settings" (highlighted in red)

3. Here you can adjust the security level. Use the slider to select the "Most Secure" level.

   Raise the slider to the "Most secure" level

4. Click OK.
5. Ready! Security settings have been changed.

Settings for additional security

There are additional security measures that you can apply if you wish:

1. Go to settings as in the instructions above.
2. Navigation is on the left. Go to the "Privacy" category.
3. Check the boxes next to “Use tracking protection in private windows” and “Always work in private browsing mode.”

   Check the highlighted boxes to protect yourself from tracking and work in private mode

4. Go to the "Protection" category.
5. Check the boxes next to “Warn when websites try to install add-ons” and “Block dangerous and deceptive content.”

   Check the highlighted boxes to protect yourself from dangerous content

How to bypass the firewall

Here's what you need to do to bypass the firewall:

1. Click on the onion icon in the upper right corner, as in the instructions above.
2. Select "Tor Network Settings".

   Select "Tor Network Settings" from the drop-down menu

3. The settings here are the same as in the instructions above, except for the item “My firewall only allows me to connect to certain ports.” Select it if you want to bypass the firewall.

   Select "My firewall only allows me to connect to certain ports"

4. In the field that appears, enter the allowed ports separated by commas. You can find them in your firewall settings. Then click OK.

   Enter the allowed ports separated by commas in the field and click OK

Troubleshooting

Problems may sometimes arise while using the browser. They are rare, individual and related not so much to the browser as to the provider. The main difficulty is the lack of Internet connection: for example, pages do not load. Adding exceptions or checking the date and time can help here.

Tor Browser does not connect to the Internet

If the page does not load for more than a minute, then most likely the browser cannot connect to the network.

If the content of the page does not appear for a long time, and the inscription “Connecting...” does not change to the site title, then most likely the browser cannot connect to the Internet

Solution #1: Check date and time

Check if the date and time are set correctly on your computer. If they are incorrect:

1. Right-click on the clock; they are located at the bottom right of the taskbar.

   

BoingBoing recently published an article about how some librarians in Massachusetts were installing Tor software on all their public PCs to anonymize their patrons' habits. Librarians do this as a challenge to passive government surveillance, as well as to companies that track users online and create dossiers to serve highly targeted advertising. In this article we will talk about how to use TOR Browser and why it is needed.

This interesting project and a bold stand for user privacy. But the good news is that if you want to browse anonymously, you don't have to go to the library to use Tor. Connecting to the Tor network from your PC is quick and painless thanks to the dead simple Tor browser. (Want even more privacy? Check out the top picks from our VPN reviews.)

What is Tor and how to use TOR Browser?

Tor- a computer network of volunteers around the world. Each volunteer runs what's called a relay, which is simply a computer running software that allows users to connect to the Internet via the Tor network.

Before hitting the open Internet, Tor Browser will connect to several different relays, wiping tracks at every turn, making it difficult to determine where and who you really are.

Although Tor is gaining a reputation as a tool for purchasing illegal goods online, the software has many legitimate purposes. Activists masking their location from repressive regimes and journalists communicating with anonymous sources are two simple examples.

Unless, like the librarians in Massachusetts, you have an exotic reason to use Tor, it's still a good tool for keeping your browsing private.

Where to begin?

The easiest way use Tor - download Tor Browser. This is a modified version of Firefox, as well as many other programs that connect you to the Tor network.

Once you have downloaded the installer, you have two options: you can simply install software, or you can check the GPG signature of the installation file first. Some people like to check the installation file to make sure they uploaded the correct version of the browser, not something that has been tampered with.

But verifying a GPG signature is not a painless process and requires additional software downloads. However, if this is what you would like to do, the Tor project should somehow explain what is required.

Installing Tor Browser

How to Install Tor Browser on Ubuntu? This is done very simply and quickly. Just go to the official website and download the file.

Regardless of whether you have verified the GPG signature, the next step is to install the Tor Browser itself.

You can install Tor Browser on a USB drive.

For Ubuntu Tor Browser comes as a TAR.XZ file, so it is similar to installing any other program. The main difference is that the browser does not have the same default location as most programs. Instead, it suggests your desktop as the installation location.

The Tor browser does this because it is portable software and does not integrate into the Ubuntu system like typical programs do. This means you can launch Tor browser from almost anywhere: desktop, documents folder, or even a USB drive.

When you come to the window " Select installation location", click " Review"... and then select where you want to install the browser. As you can see in the image above, I installed it on a USB drive that I use in my keychain.

Once you have selected your location, simply click " Install", and "Tor" will take care of the rest. As you understand, installing Tor Browser is very fast. But how to configure the program?

So, how to use Tor Browser on Ubuntu or other operating systems?

How to use TOR Browser

Once the browser is installed, you will have a plain old folder called Tor Browser. Open this and inside, you will see “Launch Tor Browser”. Click on this file and a new window will open asking if you want to connect directly to the Tor network or if you need to configure your proxy settings first. The program can also be found in the list of installed applications and launched.

For most people, choosing the direct option is best, so select Connect. After a few seconds, the Firefox version will launch and you will now be connected to the Tor network and can use the browser in relative anonymity.

To make sure you're connected to Tor, go to whatismyip.com, which will automatically detect your location based on your Internet Protocol address. If your browser shows that you are coming from a location that is not your own, you are good to go. Just make sure you do all your anonymous browsing from within the Tor Browser itself, since no other programs on your system are connected to Tor.

But browsing Tor anonymously isn't as simple as downloading a program. There are also some rules of the road that you must follow, such as connecting to each site using SSL/TSL encryption (HTTPS). If you don't do this, then everything you do on the network can be observed by the person running your exit node. The browser comes with the Frontier Foundation's HTTPS Everywhere add-on built in by default, which should cover your SSL/TSL requests most of the time.

The Tor Project has more tips for anonymous browsing.

Also, remember that browsing anonymously does not make you immune to viruses and other malware. If you go to more restricted parts of the Internet, Tor can't protect you from malware that could be used to reveal your location.

However, for the average Internet user, the Tor browser should be enough to stay online.

Translation from an excellent English resource PCWorld.

We have previously talked about this or the list.

conclusions

We hope you understand how to use TOR Browser on Ubuntu. Installing TOR Browser is very simple. If you still have any questions about this topic, write them in the comment form for a faster response.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Tor Browser is a free, portable package with the Firefox browser that allows you to ensure anonymity and privacy on the Internet. Can be used on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux platforms.

The Tor browser is convenient because it does not require installation on a computer, it does not have complex settings and, thus, is suitable for inexperienced users. It allows you to hide your real location, IP address and other identification data.

How does the Tor system work? It contains the principle of so-called onion routing. Members of the TOR community launch a network of proxy servers around the world, which become communication hubs. The data transmitted by users is encrypted many times, and each level of encryption represents another layer of the onion packet. The information packet, before reaching its final destination, passes through a cycle of randomly selected node servers. At each subsequent checkpoint, one layer of the cipher is decrypted, containing information about the next intermediate node. After reading the information, the used layer of the onion is destroyed. The cycle is repeated several times.

The Tor Browser is mainly used by bloggers, hackers, journalists, law enforcement agencies, users from countries with Internet censorship, etc.

Key features of Tor Browser:

• does not require installation and runs from portable media
• Russified and easy to use interface
• anonymous and safe surfing
• encryption of transmitted data
• disabling potentially dangerous functions (cookie, flash, javascript, browsing history, browser cache)
• ability to access blocked resources

How to use Tor Browser

To download Tor Browser for free, go to the developer’s official website www.torproject.org

After downloading and running the installer, the browser files will be unpacked into a folder specified by the user. Next, we launch the program itself and wait for a connection to the network.

After connecting to the Tor network, the browser loads and you can see the project page. By default, all the necessary options are configured in the browser, but you should pay attention to the “No script” plugin.

He is responsible for blocking various scripts, because... they may pose a risk to the user's privacy. By default, the plugin is enabled, and if you decide to visit a supposedly dangerous resource, you should disable the display of scripts in this add-on.

Also in the Tor browser you can select a search engine from the list of available ones or connect another one. The disadvantages of Tor Browser include slower loading of web pages than in conventional browsers.

In a time of virtually complete lack of online privacy, Tor Browser is an excellent and necessary security tool.