Tor Browser 7.5 out with security updates
Tor Browser 7.5 is an update to the popular web browser that utilizes the Tor network that helps users remain anonymous while accessing sites and services on the Internet.
The new version of the Tor Browser includes important security updates. It is based on Firefox ESR 52.6 and includes the same security vulnerability fixes as that Firefox version. Firefox ESR is the Extended Support Release version of the Firefox browser that receives security updates regularly but other updates less frequently than regular release versions of the Firefox browser.
Tor Browser 7.5
Tor Browser 7.5 is an important release as it is the first to include support for "the Next Generation of Onion Services" and other important improvements.
Tor Browser users who run the program for the first time on a computer may notice interface improvements when they do so. A launcher opens when you run Tor Browser; you may use it to run the browser or configure it.
- The team improved the welcome message to help users understand what they should do next.
- The configure settings offer information on what a bridge is and make it easier to use one at the same time.
- The proxy option has a new help page associated with it to help new users understand what it is used for.
Support for updates to onion services has been added to Tor Browser 7.5. Development is still ongoing but the team promises cryptographic and protocol improvements, and support for yet-to-be-implemented features such as offline service keys, advanced client authorization, or blockchain support.
As the current code stabilizes further, we plan to add features like offline service keys, advanced client authorization, a control port interface, improved guard algorithms, secure naming systems, statistics, mixed-latency routing, blockchain support, AI logic and a VR interface (j/k about some of these). We are planning to take it slow, since there is lots to do and many bugs to squash.
You can check out the technical specifications here.
Windows users benefit from the new content sandboxing and W^X mitigation fixes. Linux users may notice fewer sandboxing issues and Mac OS users benefit from compiler hardening improvements.
Several programs, extensions and libraries were updated as well. The two included extensions HTTPS Everywhere and NoScript were updated to the latest release versions (legacy add-ons).
You can check out the full release notes on the official Tor Project web blog. Downloads for all supported operating systems are available on the Tor download site.
Related articles
- A look at Orfox, a Tor Browser for Android
- Tor Browser 7.0 released
- Tor Browser 7.5a8 update released
- Tor on Linux/Mac may leak IP (update available)
Some examples of next-gen onion services to test with:
see https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/wiki/doc/NextGenOnions
TOR 7.5 crashes as soon as it open for me. I reported the issue on github. If anyone is having the same issue or knows a fix, please comment on my post there.
https://tor.stackexchange.com/questions/16524/tor-7-5-starts-then-immediately-crashes-windows-10
Good timing was just thinking about taking Tor out for a spin again.