gHacks technology news » tor http://www.ghacks.net A technology blog covering software, mobile phones, gadgets, security, the Internet and other relevant areas. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:30:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 Proxy Server Usage To Extend Jailtime In The US http://www.ghacks.net/2009/04/15/proxy-server-usage-to-extend-jailtime-in-the-us/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/04/15/proxy-server-usage-to-extend-jailtime-in-the-us/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:10:44 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/2009/04/15/proxy-server-usage-to-extend-jailtime-in-the-us/ torA proxy server can be used for a number of things. People can use it to overcome censorship in their country, to access contents they could otherwise not access or to remain anonymous while performing research on the Internet. Proxy servers to provide a level of anonymity and privacy that makes them a good choice in many situations. A new federal law in the United States is up for voting at the united States Sentencing Commission that can increase the jail time by up to 25% if a proxy server has been used.

Privacy advocates have already expressed great concern as proxy servers are not only in use by individuals who want to protect their privacy but also by companies and even Internet Service Providers, sometimes without the knowledge of the end user. VPN (Virtual Private Network) would for example be classified as proxy servers under the new legislation. As is the popular Tor client that has been created specifically to counter censorship in the world. Several web browsers like Opera Mini or Opera 10 are also making use of proxy servers to compress data to decrease the time it takes to load websites.

The United States Sentencing Commission will vote on the new legislation on April 15. It is set to take effect on November 1 if is is passing the voting process. You can read up on the EFFs stance here

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/04/15/proxy-server-usage-to-extend-jailtime-in-the-us/feed/ 8 Anonymous Encrypted Instant Messaging With Torchat http://www.ghacks.net/2008/08/27/anonymous-encrypted-instant-messaging-with-torchat/ http://www.ghacks.net/2008/08/27/anonymous-encrypted-instant-messaging-with-torchat/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:23:19 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=6524 The Onion Router (TOR) was designed to help against network surveillance by utilizing a network of secure tunnels. Tor is used by individuals to access blocked websites and communicate freely on the Internet by routing the connection through a series of secure tunnels where each tunnel only knows the previous and next in line.

Torchat utilizes the power of the Tor network to create a peer to peer instant messaging system, effectively a secure anonymous and encrypted instant messenger that runs right of the box. The software program is fully portable and can be run from external drives or local hard drives.

One limitation of the current version is that the listening port cannot be changed unless the user is doing it in the source which would mean that it would have to be compiled again. The author promised to add a configuration option to change the listening port of the application in a later version.

torchat

Once started the user is greeted with a window similar to the one on the above screenshot with the difference that no other contacts are added obviously. To add users one needs their Torchat ID which is a series of random chars, a nickname to identify the person and a initial message. The easiest way to exchange these would be by email, website, phone or other Instant Messengers. Paranoids will probably exchange them during a real-life meeting.

The author has some plans for his Instant Messenger. He plans multi-user chats, file transfers, customization options and block lists among other things. One to look out for.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2008/08/27/anonymous-encrypted-instant-messaging-with-torchat/feed/ 5 Freedom Stick Is Better Than Freedom Fries http://www.ghacks.net/2008/08/19/freedom-stick-is-better-than-freedom-fries/ http://www.ghacks.net/2008/08/19/freedom-stick-is-better-than-freedom-fries/#comments Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:21:23 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=6296 No, I’m not referring to something called French Stick – whatever that might be – that has been renamed to Freedom Stick in an effort to punish the French for not siding with the US in their war against terror. Freedom Stick is a software for an USB device that aims at defeating the virtual (fire)wall around China and any other country.

The aim is to provide every Internet user with the opportunity to surf the Internet without fearing censorship or prosecution. The Freedom Stick basically contains a version of TOR and a Firefox browser that can be used to connect to the Internet through The Onion Network.

It was designed with ease of use in mind. Just download the archive from the Chinese Wall page of the German Chaos Computer Club and unpack the contents on the USB device. If autostart is enabled the system should automatically start the Vidalia Control Panel which establishes the connection with the Tor network. Firefox is opened i that connection is successful and the user can surf the Internet using the anonymity of the Tor network.

freedom stick

The stick is only working on Windows operating systems. Linux users on the other hand usually know about these things and are able to implement them easily as well.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2008/08/19/freedom-stick-is-better-than-freedom-fries/feed/ 4 Configure Tor to use a specific country as an exit node http://www.ghacks.net/2008/01/29/configure-tor-to-use-a-specific-country-as-an-exit-node/ http://www.ghacks.net/2008/01/29/configure-tor-to-use-a-specific-country-as-an-exit-node/#comments Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:24:48 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/2008/01/29/configure-tor-to-use-a-specific-country-as-an-exit-node/ Many Internet services offer access to their services only if you are visiting the websites or applications from certain countries. IPs, and sometimes more variables like the system time, are checked when a user wants to access a country restricted service. If the IP is located in an allowed country access is allowed, otherwise it is rejected.

Many workarounds exist that help users access those services even if they are currently residing in a different country. One possibility that I would like to explain today is to configure Tor that way that the exit node lies in the country that you want to access the service in. Tor offers lots of so called nodes which are servers in a specific country running the Tor software.

I’m using Vidalia, a package that contains all necessary programs, to explain how a specific country can be selected when using Tor. Download Vidalia and install the software afterwards. The main program interface should load after the installation.

vidalia control panel

The control panel is displaying the current status of Tor. Additional information are displayed which we are going to use to find servers located in the country that we need an IP address from. A click on View the network displays a visual representation of all Tor servers but only if Tor is running.

Servers can be sorted by country flag and do have a performance indicator next to them as well. Write down some server names with the best performance and leave the menu again. We need to add those servers as exit nodes to the Tor configuration. A click on Settings and there on the advanced tab displays a menu where you find the entry Tor Configuration Menu.

A click on browse opens the browse for files dialog. Left-click on the file “torrc” and choose edit from that menu. Now add the following two lines to the configuration, just paste it at the beginning for instance:

ExitNodes server1, server2, server3
StrictExitNodes 1

Replace server1, server 2 and so on with the server names that you have written down in the network display window. Stop and restart Tor afterwards and the changes should have been made.

Now we have to add a http proxy to our browser. Firefox users click on Tools > Options > Advanced Network and there on the button Settings. Select Manual Proxy Configuration and enter localhost and port 8118 there.

firefox proxy server

You can test if everything is working fine by visiting my IP lookup script which should display a IP from the country that you have selected the servers from.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2008/01/29/configure-tor-to-use-a-specific-country-as-an-exit-node/feed/ 8 Opera, Tor and Privoxy combined http://www.ghacks.net/2007/05/07/opera-tor-and-privoxy-combined/ http://www.ghacks.net/2007/05/07/opera-tor-and-privoxy-combined/#comments Mon, 07 May 2007 12:36:51 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/2007/05/07/opera-tor-and-privoxy-combined/ OperaTor is a combination of Opera, the anonymization network Tor and Privoxy similar to Foxtor which offers the same functionality for Firefox. I don’t want to bore you with a lengthy technical description of how Tor is providing anonymity, just that much: Tor uses a layered approach sending your request through a series of servers that only know the server before and after them. This means that the destination server does not know that you requested the package, it only knows the IP of the server before that made the request.

OperaTor is not complicated to setup and use. You only need to download the binary executable for Microsoft Windows and unpack it on your system. No installation is required which is great for mobile use. You could for instance copy Operator to your USB stick and run it from any computer that has Internet access. Great for internet cafes and other public computers. Just start the OperaTor.exe and all three required applications will be started automatically. Just use Opera as usual from this point on and rest assured that no data will be saved on the local computer.

It is a good idea to test the connection and make sure that you are really surfing anonymous. The easiest way would be to check that with a script that displays your IP. I have written a basic script that displays your IP. Compare that IP to the one when you are not using OperaTor to know that the service is working.

The developers are updating OperaTor whenever a new version of Tor, Privoxy or Opera come out. Make sure you check the site frequently to always use the latest version of OperaTor.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2007/05/07/opera-tor-and-privoxy-combined/feed/ 6 Tor Servers Seized in Germany http://www.ghacks.net/2006/09/11/tor-servers-seized-in-germany/ http://www.ghacks.net/2006/09/11/tor-servers-seized-in-germany/#comments Mon, 11 Sep 2006 08:02:02 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/2006/09/11/tor-servers-seized-in-germany/ More than ten dedicated servers have been seized by the German police last Thursday. Some servers were running a version of the popular anonymising software Tor (The Onion Routing) which leads to the conclusion that those Tor Servers were most likely configured to run as Exit Nodes as well as normal nodes. As you may know a request runs through different Tor Servers with each only knowing the adjacent servers but not the starting node (you) and the destination. Only the last node in the chain knows the destination.

The seizure was justified by the fact that those end node IPs did appear on forums that were spreading child pornography. You might think that the states attorney simply did not know that those Tor servers were merely the exit node but this is not the case. What needs to be discussed now is wether the seizure of those tor servers was done deliberately to crack down on anonymizing services in Germany and the European Union or if the states attorney simply wanted to be thorough by seizing the servers.

The only information that he is receiving from analysing the logs (if logs exist) is the next node in line. If that next node is not located in Germany or the European Union he will have no means of investigating this chain any further.

This means they will not be able to trace the user who made the requests in first place. Is that good, or bad ? Public Opinion is really sensitive when Child Pornography is mentioned and it is really easy to turn the opinion that way that something legal looks to be something illegal. “Why would someone want to hide their tracks if he is not doing something illegal ?”, a common question from those who choose not to think, here is the answer:

Every step on the web is tracked nowadays and if you are really unlucky even released to the public, AOL anyone ? Some of my visitors live in countries without freedom of speech (all European countries have no freedom of speech as well but this is different) and anonymizers like TOR are their only way to find independent information and participate in discussions,  without fearing the worst.

What can I say, I don’t like this seizure and I smell something fishy going on. Time will tell.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2006/09/11/tor-servers-seized-in-germany/feed/ 4 Torbutton Firefox Extension http://www.ghacks.net/2006/05/06/torbutton-firefox-extension/ http://www.ghacks.net/2006/05/06/torbutton-firefox-extension/#comments Sat, 06 May 2006 14:23:01 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/2006/05/06/torbutton-firefox-extension/ This is a helpful extension. You might know Tor which helps you anonymize your internet traffic or Torpark which is basically Firefox with an always active Tor. Most people don´t need to be anonymous all the time when they are connected to the internet. Some paranoids will disagree here but I think there is no need for anonymity if you want to check on the latest football scores or a weather report.

If you agree with me on this Torbutton might be the right firefox extension for you. You can start and stop the Tor service with the click of a button. You need to install Tor as well, download link is provided from the page above and privoxy. If you like it use it and make sure you check if its working by visiting a website that shows your IP.

You will only face troubles if you are forced to use a manual proxy configuration because your provider, company or institute demands this. Torbutton will change between manual proxy configuration (on) and direct connection to the internet (off). So, this extension is not working in this case. For everyone else it should be fine to use.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2006/05/06/torbutton-firefox-extension/feed/ 1 Surfing Anonymously http://www.ghacks.net/2006/01/18/surfing-anonymously/ http://www.ghacks.net/2006/01/18/surfing-anonymously/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2006 07:10:48 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=285 TekMonkey.org published a good article on how to surf anonymously. They describe three ways of doing so: 1. Using a web based proxy ; 2. Http Proxy with browser ; 3. Using Tor.]]> TekMonkey.org published a good article on how to surf anonymously. They describe three ways of doing so: 1. Using a web based proxy ; 2. Http Proxy with browser ; 3. Using Tor.

Using a web based proxy is the easiest and fastest way to surf temporarily anonymously. Still, its not really comfortable and many web proxies don´t support all types of scripts. Nevertheless a good choice if you want a quick result. You can take a look at my web proxy list for January 2006 or this newer web proxy list if you are looking for anonymous ones.

The second option involves scanning for http proxies and adding them to your browsers network settings. This means more work and knowledge on the clients site but most of the time better and more permanent results. You still should check if the proxy is still anonymous from time to time.

Last but not least there is Tor, a free software product by the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation). Using Tor means that your connection is routed to several secure encrypted Tor servers, making it almost impossible for the target site to find out about you.

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