Sadd: anonymous virtual desktops with Tor built-in
Sadd, Scalable Anonymous Disposable Desktops, is a free and commercial online service that promises complete anonymity while using the service to be connected to the Internet.
What sets Sadd apart from virtual private network providers such as ProtonVPN, NordVPN or WindScribe that promise the same is that it adds virtual environments as a feature.
In other words: Sadd creates virtual environments and uses Tor network connections exclusively on these virtual desktops to guarantee full anonymity.
The service promises that generated desktops are deleted forensically to render recovery attempts useless, and that it does not track, save, or store anything that users do when using the service.
Free and premium plan differences
Free and premium accounts share many characteristics but there are some that free users need to be aware of.
First, free and premium account users get a virtual machine with 2 Gigabytes of RAM, 40 Gigabytes of hard drive space, and Windows 7 64-bit or Kali Linux 64-bit as the operating system.
Probably the biggest difference between the two account types is that browser traffic is not encrypted for free users; the limitation removes one of the main selling points of the service from the equation as your connection to the service does not use HTTPS at the time. All connections made in the virtual environment are routed through the Tor network.
Free users are limited to 15 minutes of online time at a time and higher pings than commercial users.
Paid accounts cost $12 per month with private accounts being listed as well on the site (but without price).
How to use Sadd
Free users who want to try the service don't need to create an account before they can do so. A click on the "try for free" button on the Sadd website displays the launch prompt.
You need to confirm that you are not a robot and may select to run a a Linux or Windows desktop environment afterward. Free users are restricted to 15 minutes of playtime and the prompt highlights the fact as well.
The generation of the desktop takes a moment but it is quite acceptable.
There is no clock that keeps track of the time left to use the environment before it is automatically disposed of.
An assortment of tools is provided on the desktop. If you select Kali Linux, you get access to Firefox ESR, Burpsuite, Metasploit Framework, Beef XSS Framework and others that you may run.
The Windows desktop is more limited than that. You get copies of Firefox and Chrome that you may run, may use Internet Explorer, and that is about it.
Here is a video by the creators that explains the service's functionality:
Closing Words and verdict
One of the main advantages of Sadd is that it can be used in any modern web browser; there are no downloads, software installations, or configuration changes that users need to make to use the service.
The service does not log user activities and desktops created by it get securely deleted so that recovery is impossible according to the service.
Two of the main downsides to using the service are that it is restricted to 15 minutes of virtual desktop access at a time and that HTTPS is not used to connect to the virtual environment for free users.
Now You: Have you tried Sadd? What is your take on the service?
You have to trust them.
Would you browse your bank account on that?
I would hope that all banks would block TOR traffic
Too bad, it keeps giving “connection failed” message. (Windows)
I see a contradiction in using Tor for extreme privacy on one side, and on the other side using a desktop run by a remote server that can see everything you do, not just the network part.
Sadd is an appropriate name.
https://dropshots.com/bunnylips/date/2018-08-23/12:54:18
Virtual windows not genuine; my 15 minutes expired without the virtual machine getting an connection to the internet (unidentified network: no internet access). This service will be around for all of a day when MS discovers that they are not using licensed copies (or even pretending to).
OK, so this is a 144 $ / year service. What’s different from building one’s own virtual environment and Tor connection locally, which is both free, and more secure because you don’t have to trust a third party ?
This cloud craze needs to stop. While I understand it might be intellectually challenging to build such a service, and even to use it just to show that it’s possible, actual usability and security, not to mention price / performance issues, are another kettle of fish.
Not sure many users will understand what this is or even care. Seems the same as using Tor inside a free or pay vpn. The pay version of Sadd is more expensive than some legit VPN’s. Seems kind of hokey, a VPN is enough for most users; always using Tor too isn’t necessary except for those who absolutely need high levels of privacy. If services like this take off, the Tor relay system could become unusably slow.
Not sure what Sadd is really up to.
Tried it out – pretty cool but very laggy. Could see this being useful for lots a purposes.
This is probably as useless, but at least it’s funny :
https://twitter.com/felixrieseberg/status/1032642127178547201
WHAT? THEY USING HTTP:// AND NO HTTPS:// ? HOW IS IT POSSIBLE IN 2018?????!
AND THEY CLAIM IT’S ANONYMOUS!!!!!!! LETS ENCRYPT IS FREE!!!!!
yeah, I’ve tried Sadd sounds great does not do what it says though, I’ll stay with surfshark vpn in it is much faster.
VPN’s aren’t safe:
NSA Cracked Open Encrypted Networks of Russian Airlines, Al Jazeera, and Other “High Potential†Targets :
https://theintercept.com/2018/08/15/nsa-vpn-hack-al-jazeera-sidtoday
(Wonder why Martin hasn’t told You this yet, i reported it to him some weeks ago)
This is irrelevant. Most people don’t have the NSA as an adversary. Just because the NSA has, quite legitimately and hopefully, cracked open some VPNs looking after terrorists, does not mean VPNs are not safe to you and me.
Also, one should not believe blindly everything The Intercept says. While they do publish valuable and genuine information, they are also leftists, and a mouthpiece for Russian disinformation. So, one has to separate the true facts they may publish from the fear-mongering they do spread.
We can’t all work for NSA, so what’s the alternative for regular users? NSA could likely hack anything they want, no surprise there. Businesses have used VPN’s forever. There are many reasons people use VPN’s beside espionage or nefarious deeds. I use them primarily to prevent being followed everywhere I go; that’s just simple Right to Privacy stuff.
No headlines here because VPN’s are not inherently unsafe.
I think its common sense that this is not going to be used by your everyday guy or everyday VPN user lol. I highly doubt that their target audience is anyone who asks these questions:
– Can I use this to access my bank account, Facebook, or any other social media? (Who uses Tor to do this?)
– Why not just make a VM locally? (Unless you know how to properly destroy it and any “evidence”?)
– Why are they using HTTP for the free version? (Its clearly a trial)
– How do we know that they are not watching the desktops on the remote server? (Why the hell would a company create a service like this, and put themselves at risk at the same time? I think we all know that the desktops are destroyed for a reason.)
– What if Tor connections get blocked? (Then you could literally tunnel using SSH or some proxy lol)
– Why is it so slow? (Clearly this service is streaming a desktop over HTML5. Depending on your location from the server will affect your ping)
Its clear that there is a disconnect between the user and the desktop that they are controlling for a reason.
I can just flat out say that this is made for hackers. Lets pretend that someone used this to hack some bank or website. How could anyone prove that SADD was the medium used (since it uses Tor), and the person who committed the hacking was the person who did it?
This product raises so many moral questions and is theoretically untraceable. I worry that if hackers were to use this massively, the cyber world would be in danger. Its a great idea but the moral aspect of this is really bad.