How the tor browser works. Does Tor encrypt my data and traffic? How to change home page in Tor

Hello guys. Today I will show you how to install the Tor browser and show you how to use it, although there is nothing to be able to do, everything is simple there. That means a little bit of information, so to speak. What is Tor? This is an anonymous network so that you can view sites, communicate, but at the same time so that no one can understand where you are from. Well, that is, you will be anonymous.

In general, the Tor network is such, really serious in its structure, the data inside it is all encrypted and transmitted through several servers (they are called nodes). Everywhere on the Internet they write that Tor is slow, but I can't say anything here, for some reason I have it normal, not super-fast, but not a turtle either.

By the way, first of all I have a picture showing an onion, do you know why? Because the Tor network works like that, onion principle, there is even such a thing as onion routing. Three servers are used to transfer data, which ones can be found in the Tor browser (this is called a type of server chain). Well, the traffic from you goes encrypted three times, and each server can remove only one protection. That is, the third server removes the last protection.

I'll also write this, there are such people, well, not entirely normal, in short, do you know what they do? I've written that traffic is encrypted and transmitted over three servers. And already on the third server, it is decrypted and becomes available to the recipient, well, figuratively speaking. Well, not quite normal people set up such a server at home, so to speak, they raise a node and comb the traffic that goes through it. For this node will definitely be the last one for someone. Well, you understand, yes, what happens? The last node, traffic is already completely decrypted on it and it can be scanned, well, combed there for your own purposes, so to speak. Therefore, I do not advise you to enter your username and password somewhere in the Tor browser, well, there, for example, VKontakte or other social networks, because in theory you can be simply stupidly hacked

All right, stop talking, let's get down to business. How do I install the Tor browser on my computer? Spakuha, everything is simple here. So you first need to go to this site:

There you need to click on the purple Download button, this button:

Just keep in mind that it is better to download only the stable version (Stable Tor Browser), they, in principle, go first. It's just that then there are experimental versions (Experimental Tor Browser), in which there may be errors, I do not recommend downloading this version

That's it, then the Tor browser installer will start downloading. By the way, the browser itself is made on the basis of Mozilla, which is good, because Mozilla does not eat a lot of operatives, it works quickly and all that. I downloaded the Tor browser installer, launch it:

I downloaded it in Chrome, in another browser something similar will be. Then you will have a security window, well, there is some kind of warning, in short, click here Run:

By the way, you may not have this window. So, then you will have a choice of language and Russian (Russian) should already be selected there:

Then there will be a window where it will be written where exactly the browser will be installed, so it wants to be put on my desktop, well, so be it. If everything suits you here, then click Install (well, or click the Browse button to select another folder for installation):

That's it, then the installation will start, it will go through quickly:

At the end of the installation, you will have two checkboxes:

The first is, I think, understandable, and the second is to add Tor browser shortcuts to the start menu and to the desktop. If you need shortcuts, then do not remove the check mark. In general, we click ready, and if you did not remove the first checkmark, then the Tor network settings window will start immediately, this is the window:

Well, from this place, so to speak, let's talk in detail. So what do we see in this window? There is a Connect button, there is a Configure button. The Connect button, this will use the usual settings, that is, you can not sweat it, but take it and click the Connect button and wait a little. The second button is for configuring Tor, and now I'll press it to show you what settings are there. So I pressed it and this window appeared:

What do we see here? And we see here that we are asked whether our provider is blocking Tor? There are such unusual providers that have nothing to do and they block Tor, there are those that even cut the speed of torrents, these are the pies. I'll choose Yes here, to again show you additional settings, this is the window that then opened:

What do we see here? And we see some bridges here, and what kind of bridges are they? These bridges are, so to speak, the servers through which Tor will work, that is, it is from these servers that Tor will go out into its network. But such a server, that is, a bridge, there can be only one, you can choose only its type. This works very well, but the speed may or may not be slower, depending on which type of bridge you choose. In general, these bridges, well, that is, servers, they are called repeaters. You can also enter them manually, first having received them on the Tor website, I don’t remember exactly what the site is called, but I don’t see much point in this, if the Tor browser setting itself can do it In general, I didn’t touch anything here, I didn’t change the transport, I click Next ... Then there will be such a window:

Here we are asked, how do we go to the Internet, through a proxy or not? Well, what can I say here, here you need to specify a proxy if the Internet access goes through it. But damn it, you can just specify the left proxy (the main thing is to have a worker), so to speak, to increase your anonymity! In general, I'll choose Yes here to show you the window where the proxy is entered, this is how it is:

But I won’t enter a proxy, I don’t have it stupidly, but it’s working and free, then I’m too lazy to look for it, because it’s not so easy to find such a proxy. So I clicked the Back button, and then there I chose No and clicked the Connect button. The process of connecting to the Tor anonymous network has begun:

If everything turned out fine, there are no jokes and jambs, then the Tor browser itself will open, this is how it looks:

Well, all guys, I congratulate you, the main thing is that you have done, that is, you have installed the Tor browser and I hope that it will work for you as well as for me! Or didn't it work? Well, guys, it means something went wrong, I don't know what exactly, but personally I did not find jambs in the Tor browser. No, I'm not saying that you have crooked hands, it's just probably antivirus or firewall, so check this moment.

So, the Tor browser has opened, the start page will load. First, you can click on the Open security settings button (though I don’t know if you will have such a button, I got it right after starting the browser):

You will see the Privacy and Security Settings window:

Well, here I do not recommend changing anything, except that you can turn the slider up for better anonymity, but to be honest, I did not touch it. This window can also be opened by clicking on this triangle:

As you can see, there are other useful items in this menu. So there is such a thing as a New Personality, what is this? You know what it is? This is to just restart the Tor browser, that is, it will close and then automatically open. This will change the IP address in the Tor browser. The second point is the New Tor chain for this site, this is to change the IP address in the browser itself without closing it (if I understood correctly). At first I thought it was to change the IP address for the current open tab, that is, the site, after all, it is written there for this site, but I checked and realized that no, this is changing the Tor chain for the entire browser along with all tabs. The third point is that you already know what it is. The fourth point, that is, the Tor network settings, then there you can change the relay, set the proxy and specify the allowed ports. I opened the network settings and put two checkboxes there (a little lower) so that you can see all the options, so to speak, here, look:

Well, the fifth point is just checking for updates, by the way, I advise you not to ignore them.

Another thing I advise you to do, not often, but you know, well, to check the Tor browser. You launched it, right? Well, the start page will open, on it you click Check Tor network settings:

After that, you should see the following page with this congratulation:

If you saw her, then everything is just super, you have all a bunch of guys

By the way, after such a check, if you press that triangle again, well, opposite the button with the bow icon, then you will see through which countries the current Tor chain works:

All these countries (that is, servers) seem to change regularly, but if you need to change right now, you can click New Personality, well, in principle, I already wrote about this above

Truth is, the only thing I didn't understand is whether the repeater belongs to the servers? Well, that is, I mean that the Tor network has three servers, so does the relay apply to them? That is, here I created a connection through a relay and I see what goes like this: relay> server 1> server 2, and I don't see the third one. So the relay is included in the total number of servers, so to speak, in the top three? So I turned off the relay, clicked New Identity, the browser restarted, then I clicked Check Tor Network Settings and this is what I saw:

That is, as I thought, if you turn on the repeater, then it will play the role of the first server, so to speak

So, what else I want to tell you. So when you clicked on Check the Tor network settings, well, it will say all the oceans, everything in a bunch, and so there will still be something down there that you can see the information about the output node (server) and for this you need to click on Atlas:

What is this anyway? Well, here you can find out the country of the node, it seems like you can also find out the server speed .. In general, such infa, so to speak, is not particularly interesting, but still .. In general, this is the page you will see if you click on Atlas:

Well, have you more or less figured out how to use the Tor browser? That is, this is a regular browser, but which connects to the Internet only through the Tor network. The settings of the Tor network itself are conveniently made, everything is quite clear, I personally had no mistakes, the network works like not the slowest mobile Internet, well, this is me in terms of speed

By the way, I went to the 2ip website, and here's what information he gave me about my IP address:

Well, that is, as you can see, there are no problems with the substitution of the IP address, and even where the Proxy is written, it also says that the proxy is not used. But do not rush to rejoice! Even 2ip in most cases determines that the IP address belongs to the Tor network .. You just need to click on specify opposite the Proxy ..

So, then what else I want to say. So the Tor browser runs under such processes as tor.exe (so to speak, the main module for accessing the Tor network), obfs4proxy.exe (if I'm not mistaken, it is responsible for the relay operation) and firefox.exe (modified Mozilla to work with the network Tor). All components are in the Browser folder along with Mozilla itself. By the way, the Tor browser does not conflict with the usual Mozilla in any way, well, suddenly you have it installed.

Actually, I think I should tell you what the Tor browser really is, that is, how it works. So look, in fact, everything is a little simpler. The Tor browser itself, then you already understood that this is Mozilla, well, this is a reworked Mozilla, in which any leaks of your real IP address are excluded. Well, that is, the security is configured strongly, there are also special extensions (by the way, I do not recommend touching them at all). But it still remains an ordinary Mozilla. The most important thing is tor.exe, this is the file that goes to the Tor network. When Mozilla launches it, it brings up a proxy server, so to speak, to which Mozilla connects and then can go to the Internet. This proxy server can be used by other programs, but for it to work, the Tor browser must be running, this is important. This proxy, by the way, is the SOCKS proxy type. In general, this proxy:

That is, it can even be set in the Internet Explorer browser and it will also go to the Internet via Tor. How to ask? Well, it's very simple, you go to the Control Panel, there you find the Internet Options icon, launch it, then go to the Connections tab and click the Network Settings button there. Then check the Use a proxy server box, then click the Advanced button and specify the proxy in the Socks field:

But it may be that you will need in the Properties: Internet window (well, when you clicked on the Browser Properties icon in the Control Panel), click not on the Network Settings button, but click on simply Settings (located above), it will be active for you if you have you have a connection in the Configure Dial-up Connection and Virtual Private Networks box! To be honest, I don’t remember what kind of Internet it is, it hasn’t existed for a long time, but I only know that this is the type of Internet that exists. Well, in short, guys, I think you will figure it out

Everything, after such actions, well, what I wrote above, then after that Internet Explorer will already work for you through the Tor anonymous network. Do you think everything is that simple? No guys! I do not recommend doing this, because Internet Explorer is a regular browser that is not sharpened for anonymous work in the same way that the Tor browser is sharpened. Do you understand? I just told you all this for an example. This SOCKS proxy is suitable for many programs, not only for Internet Exlorer. Well this is all so to tell you on a note

If you are interested, then you can see what extensions are in the Tor browser, for this you need to go to this address:

Well, here are all the installed extensions:

You can press the Settings buttons to see the settings themselves, but here's something to change, I advise you only if you are sure of it! In general, as you can see, Tor is a browser, that is, this Mozilla, it is well modified and contains just a bunch of mechanisms to ensure the maximum level of anonymity. Guys, this is good

So, what else I want to say. You can download it in the Tor browser, the speed can be low or high enough, as for the Tor network, but here you need to play with servers, some may be faster, some slow, the same applies. It's just that when you start the browser, there is always a new server. Honestly, I don’t know if the repeater affects the speed, but if logically it does, I don’t know, but it seems that my speed was lower on one repeater, higher on the other .. Well, it’s like that ... Or is it just a coincidence … I do not know for sure..

I will say again that if anonymity is important to you, then just do not change anything either in the Tor network settings or in the browser itself!

When you start Tor browser, you will have such a small window:

There you can click the Open settings button and configure the connection to the Tor network, well, there it means the relay and proxy settings. By the way, if you choose a repeater, then I advise you to choose exactly obfs4, in principle, as advised by default. Although, all these settings can be accessed already with the Tor browser running, it will be enough just to click on the triangle next to the onion icon:

Well guys, everything seems to be? I just don't know if I wrote everything, but everything seems to be. There is nothing difficult in mastering the Tor browser, I think there will be no problems with the settings either, it is easy to use it, it works stably without glitches and jambs. Well, personally, I didn’t have such a thing that it wouldn’t work. And by the way, I don't know why they say about him that he is terribly inhibited, I certainly do not have it reactive, but you can still use it

I don't know if you need it or not, interesting or not, but I'll write it. Do you know how to change the country in Tor? Well, maybe you know, maybe not, but in the Tor browser it is not so easy to do this, because there is no such feature built-in (in the old version it seemed to be). You need to manually edit the torrc config file. In general, I will write how to do this, I think that everything will work out for you, I personally checked it myself, yes, it is POSSIBLE to change the country, but with a joke ..

I almost forgot the most important thing to write to you, before editing the torrc file, you need to close the Tor browser! The trick is that the new setting, well, which we introduce, it can knock down. And then, when you already launch the browser with the selected country, then you do not need to configure anything well in terms of the Tor network, otherwise the setting that you manually set, then it may get lost!

So what needs to be done to change the country in the Tor browser? So, first you need to open the torrc file, I don’t know where you will have the Tor browser installed, but it was installed on my desktop, so the path to the torrc file is here:

C: \ Users \ VirtMachine \ Desktop \ Tor Browser \ Browser \ TorBrowser \ Data \ Tor

In the path there is the word VirtMachine, it's just the name of the computer, that is, the account. You may be in another place, but in any case, the main thing is the inner path, so to speak, I will write again, here it is:

\ Tor Browser \ Browser \ TorBrowser \ Data \ Tor

The torrc file is located in that Tor folder. So, okay, sorted it out. Now you need to open it, double-click on it, there will be a program selection dialog, here you need to select Notepad and click OK:

The following file will open:

This file already contains the settings that I set. Well, that is, here are the settings that are set in the Tor network setup window where the relay and proxy are selected. Do you see the lines that begin with Bridge obfs4? Well, these are the relay teams, so to speak. After all, the torrc file is a configuration file for the Tor network itself, and this file is needed for the tor.exe module, do you understand? Well, so, down there, if you still twist it with the mouse, it will be something like:

This also applies to repeaters, 1 is to use them, and 0 is not to use, everything is logical. These are teams, I hope they figured it out. So what should you do now? And now you need to add a command that will set the country of the destination server (or destination node). Roughly speaking, to change the country, you need to add this command to the end of the file:

ExitNodes (country code)

Where the country code is, then there you need to indicate the country, well, for example RU, BY, UA, and so on. Honestly, I don’t know all these codes, but if you really need it, you can search for this information on the Internet, I don’t think this is a problem. In general, for example, I will ask RU, that is, Russia, here is the command in this case, you need to register:

We write it at the end of the file:

Then close the file, save the changes. Well, understand a little? Then you launch the Tor browser and you will be permanently in the country whose code you specified in the command. But the problem is that when you start the Tor browser, it will pick up the command with the country code and everything will work fine, but there will be NO command in the torrc file itself, it WILL DISAPPEAR. Therefore, next time you will have to manually set the command again, this is such a gambling! I forgot something and didn't write that you can set more than one country, but several, well, for example:

ExitNodes (RU), (UA), (BY)

In this case, the outgoing servers will be the IP addresses of the specified countries. But there is one more command, it is the opposite of this one, it, on the contrary, prohibits the IP addresses of the specified countries. This is the command:

ExcludeExitNodes (RU)

As you can see, I have forbidden the outgoing servers to have Russian IP. Here you can also specify several countries separated by commas. And also add to the file.

In general, these are the guys, it's a pity that the commands from the torrc file disappear after they were picked up by the Tor browser. This is because such commands are not part of the Tor browser functionality! But I think that this is not such a terrible joint. Although the cant is so cant

But in general, you can somehow mess with this Tor browser and with the torrc file, you may find some more working way, well, so that the commands are not deleted. You can make a copy of a file like ..

In general, there are a lot of commands for the torrc configuration file, but it's not always easy to deal with them. In general, guys, here's a link with the teams (this is the official site):

Well, there is a lot of useful information, interesting commands, in general, if you are interested, then be sure to take a look

Personally, I advise you to use the Tor browser only with relays, because there is not much difference, what with them, what without, well, in terms of speed, but relays, so to speak, increase anonymity. Here's a moment.

And I also want to write something, just not everyone knows about it. Tor servers are not only those who are specifically engaged in this, that is, specially created servers to support the Tor network, but also ordinary users. How they do it, I do not know for sure, so I will not say anything. But what do they do it for, what do you think? They do this in order to scan traffic! If the server is the last, then the traffic after it is not encrypted, which means you can view it! Thus, they try to find out logins and passwords from everything that is possible. But this is so, well, there seem to be not many such servers, but it is better not to take risks and not go anywhere in the Tor browser, well, that is, do not enter your username and password. This is just my advice guys

In general, what can I say, well, so to speak, what conclusion can be drawn? I will try briefly. The Tor browser is cool, at one time I got the idea to use the Internet only through Tor, I even managed to download movies through it, but damn it, it's still slow when compared to the regular Internet. Yes, and it is not safe to use your personal mail through it, go to some sites there, well, in principle, I already wrote about this. So, in short, these are the guys.

Well, guys, that's all, it seems that I wrote everything, or not everything, but I tried to write as much information as possible, just tired already the malekha. If something is wrong, then I'm sorry, but I hope that everything is so and that everything is clear to you here. Good luck in life and so that everything is fine with you.

Increasingly, people are faced with the blocking of sites that, although they do not distribute information prohibited in Russia, are trying to remove them because of someone's financial interests. The Tor service - in particular, the Tor browser - if configured correctly, allows you to bypass the inappropriate censorship in this case and get to the Internet resource of interest.

What is the Tor browser, why is it needed and how it works

About technology

Network Tor volunteered... It has thousands of relay servers, allowing you to connect to the desired server from any country. Network traffic Tor securely encrypted: it is impossible to track either the user himself or what he sends or receives. Attention! No encryption will protect you from criminal activity. The site you visit must support HTTPS (HTTP secure connection).

But this does not mean that you can unrestrainedly load your communication channel with the network. Tor - Tor was primarily created to communicate and search for classified information. Remember! By creating a "shock" load on your channel Tor, for example, using torrent downloads, you"Slow down" other network participants Tor.

Disadvantage is lower than normal surfing without Tor, web page processing speed... Like any encryption like VPN, network encryption Tor"Slows down" the work on the web.

About the browser

Tor browser is a modified version of the Firefox browser, from which online tracking was "thrown out", but the mechanism was "implanted" Tor. Components do not need to be installed as a separate add-on or extension - in the assembly Tor browser everything is ready o for safe and anonymous web surfing. Tor browser runs on Android, Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems.

Where to find

There is a website on the web tor project.org, where you can find not only Tor Browser, but also a separate Tor client... Browser Tor- a well-known program, it is also on all kinds of "soft-portals" of the Runet.

How to install Tor browser on computer

Your actions are as follows.

1. Go to the site tor project.org
2. Select the Russian version from the table on the download page and the required "bitness" of the assembly (depending on whether you have a 32- or 64-bit version of Windows).
3. You will be prompted to download the file from Tor browser.
4. Select a location to save the installer file " torbrowser».
5. Once the download is complete, launch your distro Tor browser.
6. Select the installation language. By default, any program that comes to you has English as the "system" language. But we need a Russian-language interface.
7. By default, the installer copies files not to the Program Files folder (this is the standard program folder in Windows), but to the user's own system directory. The browser will not "inherit" the Program Files folders in the shared files - and they, in turn, will not "inherit" in the Windows system folder, and uninstalling the application in which case it will be easier and "painless" for the operating system. Select the path to the folder Tor browser.
8. The installation will start. The process may take several minutes.
9. After each installation of a new program, it is recommended to restart the PC - this will allow Windows to correctly save all the necessary changes in its registry and create a restore point in case of incorrect installation of this program. If you want to run the program now - check corresponding item.

Congratulations! Browser installed and ready to work.

How to set up and use

Your actions are as follows.

1. Run Tor browser- its setup will begin. If you often travel across continents and countries, and the situation in your country is heating up, select any of the foreign proxy servers and enter it into its settings. If there is no need for this, connect to Tor without additional settings.
2. After clicking the connect button in the previous window, a connection to a suitable server from the network chain will start Tor.
3. This will bring up the main window. Tor browser... Its default size is hard-coded - this prevents your PC from being tracked by screen resolution and other display parameters. Try not to enable full-screen browsing mode - this can harm your anonymity.

Browser Tor ready for work.

If network access is blocked

Fortunately, blocking the service Tor bypassed easily... There is a "bridge" technology - the use of the nearest repeater.

The action plan is as follows.

1. On first launch , as you remember, allows you to choose a direct connection to Tor or additional settings for your connection... We need exactly the advanced setting. It can be called by giving the command "Menu - Network Settings Tor».
2. You will be given the opportunity to choose one of the repeaters Tor.
3. Tor browser offers two ways to connect to repeater bridges: manual and automatic. The OBFS add-on makes it difficult to track your connection and makes it possible to select bridges from a predefined list. If in the end there is no auto-connection - write a letter to [email protected]tor project.org asking to provide you with the bridge addresses manually. To go to the proxy settings, click the "Next" button.
4. Enter the address of either a local proxy, or another, the settings of which you found on the Internet. So, if you use the HandyCache virtual proxy server, which accelerates your surfing across the Internet, use its settings (details on the website handycache.ru).
5. Click "Connect". The already familiar window with the connection process will start. Then the main window will open Tor browser.

You can start working on the web, browser ready.

Connecting to the network through specific repeaters

Manually entering the addresses of the repeater bridges will help when autoconnecting Tor Browser to the Tor network to any bridge from the list described in the previous "user guide" failed... Your actions are as follows.

The program is ready to go.

Other settings

Checking the connection

Go to the check page. tor project.org - if Tor browser configured, the service will inform you about it.

If the program is not configured or you are using a different browser - the Tor service will inform you that you are not using Tor at the moment.

Checking by IP (for example, on 2ip.ru) will indicate your country and city, as well as your real IP taken from the local network of your provider. So, for the mobile operator "MTS" these are addresses 95.153. *. * - you will immediately see this, because other information about you is displayed on such services, such as: provider name, operating system, technical information about your PC ...

What you are using Tor you guess when:

• as your geolocation, a completely different country (other than Russia) and a different city will be determined by the service for checking your connection to the Network;
• information about your provider will be hidden or implausible.

Connecting as a new client

For this purpose, there is a "New Personality" function - you connect as a completely new person. Give the command " Tor- New personality ". Your current session will be refreshed - all temporary Internet files will be deleted.

Disable JavaScript

This feature protects the user from personal data leakage and attacks by malicious content on websites. To turn off JavaScript in Tor browser there is addon NoScript.

Update

To check for updates, issue the command “ Tor- Check for updates. " The application will connect to the service Tor and check for availability updates.

There is another way: go to the already familiar page of the site tor project.org and download Tor browser again if you believe that during your use of the current version Tor browser its update could come out.

How to change the country through which Tor is running

To do this, open the file “ tor rc "at C: \ Tor browser\ Browser \ TorBrowser\ Data \ Tor\ in the text editor "Notepad" and add these lines at the end:

1. ExitNodes (US)
2. StrictExitNodes 1

Here "US" is the abbreviation for the United States. Codes of names of other countries, if there are several of them, fit into these lines separated by commas, each of them must be enclosed in curly braces.

To prohibit a certain country, we enter only the last line at the end of the file code “ tor rc ", and in it instead of" 1 "we indicate one or more country codes separated by commas, through which Tor browser will not connect to blocked sites... In both cases, save the file and restart Tor browser.

What to do if the browser has stopped working

Doesn't start or has stopped starting

Earlier Tor browser worked - and now stopped... Causes:

• service files are damaged Tor browser in the application folder;
• version to which Tor browser has been updated, is no longer compatible with your version of Windows (typical error for Windows XP);
• developer error Tor;
• the system has undergone a "virus attack" (you often visit unverified sites or find yourself phishing on well-known sites);
• you have installed another application from a questionable source that has broken some Windows system files (drivers or libraries).

• restore (rollback) the Windows system using the standard application - "System Restore";
• uninstall and reinstall the program;
• check the Windows system for viruses and other unwanted software found to remove;
• find the application causing the conflict with Tor browser- update found after "rollback" Windows, or delete;
• install a more "recent" version of Windows, if necessary, install the necessary updates and fixes that have been released to it.

Doesn't connect

It happens that browser Excluded to the network. Causes:

• incorrect settings of the bridge repeaters;
• incorrect or incomplete settings of the proxy server (when using a proxy in the local network);
• network performance is broken (packets on the network Tor pass badly or are completely lost);
• blocking by the provider (full or selective);
• no network connection at all.

• check your Internet connection and the status of your account and tariff of your provider or mobile operator;
• check the settings of the bridges of the repeaters, if necessary - get the addresses of the bridges again;
• check if your ISP is blocking the network Tor (try connecting to different relays);
• specify the settings of the proxy server of your company or institution (server, port, name and password for authorization);
• try connecting later (maybe the nearest repeaters and servers Tor overloaded), select a different time to connect to in your country or in your and nearest time zones.

How to delete

To uninstall, give the command "Start - Control Panel - Programs and Features" (Add or Remove Programs), select your application Tor browser and press the button at "Delete". The program will be removed. After uninstalling the application, restart Windows.

Video - settings of the country of your "stay"

Using the Tor Browser is easy. If you want to protect yourself, you can easily master the work with the browser. In general, the Tor network itself is a tidbit for the modern Internet user: you can hide not only the opening of any website in the browser, but also use this network for other tasks beyond the usual web surfing. All this is available and free. Enjoy your work!

TOR is a browser configured in a certain way, which guarantees the anonymity of Internet use. The "incognito" mode is achieved by encrypting traffic and further routing it through servers. Using a browser allows you to hide the identity of the user and protect web connections from various types of surveillance. An additional TOR option is to bypass Internet blocking. Let's get acquainted with the capabilities and features of the browser.

TOR - what is it, advantages and disadvantages of technology

TOR is a tandem of the modern version of Mozilla Firefox and software with an emphasis on privacy. The program is free, allows you to effectively bypass censorship on the network. The browser network is made up of many servers scattered around the world, run by volunteers.

Anonymity is ensured by connecting to three repeaters, each of which is encrypted. As a result, it becomes impossible to calculate the path from the movement of information from the recipient to the sender.

When using TOR, a different IP address is used, which often belongs to a different country. In this case, the IP address is hidden from the sites visited by the user. An additional security measure is encryption of visited sites from unauthorized persons who can intercept traffic traffic.

This reduces the risk of online surveillance to zero. TOR also allows you to bypass Internet filters. Sites and resources that were previously inaccessible due to blocking within the country become available to the user.

Benefits of using:

• protection against surveillance that can pose a threat to privacy;
• lack of built-in tracking systems for the user;
• simplicity of the system, even an inexperienced user can easily cope with the program;
• the technology does not benefit from user data;
• the browser is recommended by many security experts;
• dynamism of the program - you can run it from any type of media, including portable;
• the browser blocks all network functions that could threaten security.

The use of TOR is not without its drawbacks. The main one is considered to be low download speed. At the same time, the user is limited in the possibilities of using all the functions of some of the resources.

Download and installation process

First you need to go to the official Tor Browser website -. Click the "download" button, after which you will be presented with a table of different versions. Select the appropriate one and continue downloading. If the site is inaccessible to you, then you can send a request letter to the address [email protected] Specify the required version, after which you will receive a download link that will not be blocked.

Tor does not require a standard installation procedure to use. You just need to unpack the browser on a PC and launch it from there. If you still want to install Tor, then follow these steps:

• go to the "downloads" folder;
• open the file, select the desired installation language;
• select the program installation folder;
• press "ok" and "done".

Installation completed. A shortcut appears on the desktop.

How to set up TOR for personal work?

During the first launch, the program will ask for the type of connection that must be selected. TOR offers 2 types of connection:

1. direct connection - should be chosen with unrestricted access to the network, in those countries where the browser is not prohibited by law, the use of the program is not monitored by the relevant services;
2. limited connection - should be selected when access to the network is limited, for countries where the use of the browser is blocked or prohibited.

In the first case, you need to run the program and select the "connection" section. After that, the use of the browser will become available.

In the second case, it is necessary to additionally encrypt the TOR bridges. We select "limited access" and press the "settings" button. Now let's move on to configuring bridges. In the window that opens, select the "connect to predefined bridges" section. Next, the program will ask if you need a proxy to provide access to the network. We select the parameter "no". Then click on "connect".

An alternative is to choose the bridges yourself. This method is rarely used, so the likelihood that you will be blocked is minimal. The user needs to go to the Tor Project website and request the addresses of existing bridges. Then you just need to follow the instructions.

After receiving the information, you can personally type in the addresses of the bridges in the settings and use the browser.

Features of use

Using TOR is very easy. It is a classic browser with one important feature - privacy mode. You can also visit the resources and sites of interest without the threat of surveillance. However, questions may arise if, for example, you are traveling to a country where the use of TOR is prohibited. In this case, follow the steps:

1. go to the browser menu;
2. select connection settings;
3. change the method of connecting to the Internet (see the section above about limited connections);
4. after completing the settings, click "ok" and restart the program.

When using the technology, it is worth remembering that network activity will be protected only within the TOR browser. The program does not protect other online user activities. When visiting TOR, the history of operations is available only when you use the program. As soon as you exit it, the history will be automatically cleared without saving to the PC hard drive.

In order to check whether the browser is active, you need to visit the developer's site - https://check.torproject.org/. When using the program, you can create new personalities. This can be done in the settings menu. In this case, the browser will select new relays that will provide anonymity.

When using the network, it will look as if you have logged on to the Internet under a different IP address. An additional security measure is the NoScript option. It is inactive by default, but you can enable it.

Its activities are aimed at protecting the user from data leakage through scripts and protecting against potentially malicious sites. To activate it, you must press the characteristic icon, which is located to the left of the main menu key.

To work properly, the browser must be systematically updated. The user will receive notifications about this, but from time to time you need to review their availability yourself. This can be done in the "check for updates" section of the menu.

For what purposes do you use Tor Browser? Write in the comments!

Tor is an indispensable tool for those who care about their privacy while surfing the web. Many people believe that for complete anonymity, it is enough to simply download the Tor browser package from the Internet and run it. This is not true. When working on the Internet, it is worth considering that there are some patterns of so-called misbehavior that can reveal your real identity and location even when surfing through Tor. We will try to get to know more about the Tor network and work out some mechanisms for interacting with this network in order to maintain our privacy.

Introduction

So the Tor network is created by servers run by volunteers. The main purpose of the Tor network is to allow users to hide their identity, as well as to discourage surveillance mechanisms on the Internet. All your interaction with the Network is encrypted, requests go from one relay to another, and then finally reach their destination. Combined with https, Tor provides end-to-end encryption, making it impossible for even volunteers to maintain Tor servers to read your traffic, and your real IP address is well masked by the IP address of the last relay.

What can go wrong with such a smart privacy protection scheme? Why are these measures not enough to maintain your complete anonymity?

Where to start

To start building the right habits when working with Tor, here are a few basic points:

• Use the Tor browser exclusively. Despite the fact that any browser can be connected to the Tor network, it is recommended to use the browser of the same name. The reason lies in the fact that the native browser is configured accordingly, while other browsers can leak confidential information due to their own settings.
• Do not work with torrent files over Tor. It is well known that torrent file sharing applications can ignore proxy settings, revealing your real IP address. Another reason is that torrenting over Tor can slow down the entire network dramatically.
• Use HTTPS everywhere. The Tor browser has a plugin called HTTPS Everywhere that forces sites that support the protocol to use it. As a result, you get the opportunity to use end-to-end encryption. Visit the developer site for this plugin for more information.
• Do not install or activate additional browser plugins. The only plugins you need are already included in the Tor browser. Other plugins can help reveal your identity, making Tor useless.
• Do not open documents uploaded by Tor when you are online. If you open a document downloaded using Tor, it may contain links that connect to the site bypassing Tor. This can lead to information leakage.
• Disable JavaScript completely (only as a last resort). Tor has a NoScript plugin specifically for this purpose. If you want to completely disable JavaScript in the browser, go to about: config and set the “javascript.enabled” setting to false. However, it should be borne in mind that almost all modern sites use JavaScript for rendering, so disable it completely only in extreme cases.
• Disable the use of the HTTP referer. To do this, go to about: config and disable “network.http.sendRefererHeader” (put 0 instead of 2).
• Disable the iframe, for this, go to about: config again and disable “noscript.forbidIFramesContext”, changing the value to 0. Iframes can be used to spread malware, but they also play an important role in the functioning of modern sites.
• Use bridges (Tor bridges). All of the above precautions will not hide the fact that you are using the Tor browser. Therefore, the user tracking traffic can mark this. If you are concerned about this problem, we strongly recommend using Tor bridges.

Configuring Tor bridges

Tor bridges are special relaying nodes in the Tor network. They differ from ordinary nodes (nodes) participating in the connection chain in that they have a closed status. That is, excluded from the public (published) lists. Used to bypass the blocking by the Tor network provider.

If Tor is not running, click configure in the main window and skip the proxy phase.

Figure 1 and 2. Skip the proxy configuration phase

Then click "Yes" on the next screen and select "obfs4" as the default type.

Figure 3 and 4. Select obfs4

If the browser is running, you need to perform the following sequence. Click on the bow icon.

Figure 5. Click on the bow icon

Then select "Tor is censored in my country".

Figure 6. Tor is Banned in My Country

Then also select "obfs4".

Figure 7. Selecting "obfs4"

After all these steps, it will be difficult for anyone to identify that you are using Tor.

conclusions

So, we've got enough information to try and configure Tor correctly. First, we figured out what the Tor Bridge is and how it can help us stay anonymous. We also discussed how to avoid blocking Tor traffic by the government, for this we use the obfs4 setting, which obfuscates your traffic, making it harmless.

Moreover, there is a way to get your own custom bridges, for this you need to send an email to this address containing the line "get bridges" in the body. There is a caveat - you must send an email from one of the following mail services - Gmail, Yahoo! or Riseup, as the system only supports these providers. Happy experiments!

Due to the tightening of access to some sites, more and more people began to use VPN and Tor to access them, as well as to surf the Internet anonymously. We already talked about VPN in one of the earlier, now let's talk about Tor.

I'll make a reservation right away - the article will not contain instructions on how to download and configure the Tor Browser - only a technical description and principles of the network itself.

Tor history

The onion network concept was introduced in 1995 with the support of the US Navy Research Laboratory. In 1997, the development was joined by DAPRA, a department of the US Department of Defense responsible for developing technologies for their subsequent use for the benefit of the US military (by the way, the same department invented ARPANET, a network that later grew into the Internet known to all). In 2003, the source codes of the network were published for free access, and the network began to actively develop (like ARPANET twenty years earlier) - by 2016, the network had more than 7000 nodes and about 2 million users.

How the network works

For the user, the network works quite simply: his data first goes to the security node, then goes through an intermediate node to the output node, and from the output node to the destination:

It is unrealistic to trace the security node through the other two nodes, besides, everything looks as if the user data appeared immediately from the exit node. Given that a variety of traffic (including illegal) can pass through this node, the owner of this node will be responsible for it, so if you meet him in real life, shake his hand, because he has enough problems with the law ...

Principles of the device of various nodes

Let's take a closer look at the nodes.

• The Entry (or Guard, or Sentinel) Node is where your data enters the Tor network. Moreover, it is not the closest node that is selected, but the most reliable one, so do not be surprised if the ping turns out to be at the level of a couple of hundred milliseconds - this is all for your safety.
• Intermediate node - created specifically so that the input node cannot be tracked using the output node: the most that can be tracked is just an intermediate node. The host itself is usually a virtual server, so server operators only see encrypted traffic and nothing else.
• The exit node is the point from where your data is sent to the desired address. Again, the most reliable server is chosen (what exactly this means - we'll talk below), so the ping can be very, very large.

How encryption works, and why the network is an onion

Tor stands for The Onion Router, and then the question arises - what does the bow have to do with it? It's all about the encryption method: it is created on the principle of an onion, that is, in order to get to its center (to your data), you need to sequentially remove all layers (encryption).

In fact, it looks like this: the client encrypts the data so that only the exit node has the decryption key. On it, they are again encrypted, but in such a way that only an intermediate node can decrypt them. On it, the data is again encrypted so that only the watchdog node can decrypt it:

As a result, the traffic after the exit node is completely encrypted, and the intermediate node is not responsible for anything - it only transmits encrypted data. But traffic can go to the exit node via HTTP and FTP, and it is not difficult to extract confidential information from it.

How can you block Tor

Of course, not all governments are "happy" that their citizens calmly visit prohibited sites, so let's figure out how, in theory, you can block Tor.

The first option is to block Tor exit nodes. That is, users will simply not be able to get out of the network, and it will become useless for those who want to use it for anonymization. Alas, for obvious reasons, the list of all exit nodes is known, and in theory, if all of them are blocked, Tor's popularity will drop sharply. In theory, because even if you block all outgoing nodes on the territory of one country, no one bothers to use the nodes of a neighboring country, which may not block such traffic. Considering that there are several thousand nodes, blocking even a hundred will not greatly affect the stability of the network.

The second option is to block all Tor users. This is already much worse, because it makes the network completely useless, because it is clear that it will not work to use the exit nodes of other countries (because what is the exit node if it is impossible to get into the network). Again, the list of all sentry nodes is publicly available, and Tor would have already been blocked, if not for one trick - bridges.

What are bridges

Bridges are nodes that are not publicly available. But then the question arises - since this is not a public site, how will the user know about it? It's simple - when trying to connect to the network, the user is given the addresses of only a few bridges - this makes sense, because the user does not need many input nodes at once.

At the same time, the full list of all bridges is strictly secret, so the maximum that governments can do is block several bridges at a time. However, since the complete list is not known, moreover, new bridges are constantly appearing - it all looks like a fight against windmills. The most serious attempt to find bridges was made by researchers using the ZMap port scanner - it found, according to some sources, up to 86% of all ports. But 86 is not 100, besides, as I already wrote, new bridges appear all the time.

The Tor Network Consensus Principle

Of course, this entire network of 7000 nodes needs to be supported somehow. For this, 10 powerful servers have been created, supported by a certain circle of proven volunteers. Every hour they check the operability of all nodes, through which nodes more traffic passes, which nodes are cheating (more on that below), and so on. Moreover, the publication of all data occurs in clear text via HTTP (of course, except for the list of all bridges) and is available to everyone.

The question arises - since all decisions on the network are made together, why are there 10 servers - then a tie is possible (5 vs 5)? It's simple - 9 servers are responsible for the list of nodes, and one for the list of bridges. So you can always come to a consensus.

What are sniffer nodes


Of course, many who keep the exit nodes, the thought occurred to them - since traffic passes through their nodes exactly as if it were coming from the user's device, why not profit from logins and passwords (and other confidential data)? Considering that most of the traffic goes through open protocols (HTTP, FTP and SMTP) - the data is transmitted directly in the clear, take it - I don't want to. And, alas, this passive wiretapping (sniffing) cannot be tracked by the user in any way, so the only way to fight is to send your data through Tor only in encrypted form.

Of course, the creators (and users) of Tor don't like this in any way, so a flag in the consensus called BadExit was coined. Its meaning is to catch and put special labels on the outputs that listen for traffic. There are many ways to determine wiretapping, the most commonplace is to create a page where you can enter logins and passwords, and transfer them to the Tor network via HTTP. If then from this node there is an attempt to enter this site with these logins and passwords, then this node is engaged in sniffing. Of course, no one bothers to use it, but, as I wrote above, encrypt your data, and then the owners of such nodes will be powerless.

Of course, not all exit nodes are like this (according to some sources, there are about 5% of them), and most of the node owners take their role very seriously and take all the risks on themselves, helping the Tor network exist everywhere except Antarctica (I think penguins do not mind , like the polar explorers - they still have more important things to do), for which we are very grateful to them.