There are many reasons for a person to want to avoid being tracked while using the internet, including several legitimate reasons. If you are looking for a way to keep your online activity more private, you may be considering using a TOR browser.
A TOR browser is an onion browser that protects your internet traffic through a series of encrypted layers. TOR browsers can provide you with online privacy, but they are not impervious to vulnerabilities. Paired with VPN services, the TOR browser can be an effective way to keep your web browsing more private.
Read on to learn more about how TOR works to keep your browsing history private.
What is TOR?
The Onion Router (known as TOR) is a free, open-source network that masks online traffic. Originally, TOR was developed and managed by the US military, but in 2006, a nonprofit organization called The Tor Project took over maintaining Tor and Tor Browsing. Volunteers manage the decentralized platform.
It uses onion routing to keep users’ access to websites anonymous. The TOR browser hides your IP address by redirecting your web traffic through several nodes (different routers). Whistleblowers, journalists, and people who want privacy typically use TOR browsers to protect themselves from being tracked online.
Websites can also get a [dot]onion address that is only accessible via the TOR browser. This protects the identity of both the website and those who visit it. Often, TOR browsers are used to access the dark web (sometimes called the deep web).
China, Russia, and some other countries have banned TOR browsers. Some people pair their TOR browsers with a VPN server for extra privacy. TOR browsers can be used on Windows, Apple, and Linux operating systems.
How Does A TOR Browser Work?
A TOR browser works by sending your internet traffic through relays, or random servers. First, your browser connects to a publicly known entry node to initiate your data into the TOR circuit.
Your data is encrypted and then sent through a series of nodes that peel back one layer of decryption at a time (like layers of an onion). Finally, the last layer of encryption is peeled away and the decrypted data leaves the TOR network through an exit node at its final destination.
This complicated way of masking your internet traffic can keep your internet service provider (ISP) from tracking your internet activity. Website administrators and services will see a connection from the TOR network instead of your IP address.
TOR browsers do not store browsing history and cookies are only valid for one session.
What Is A TOR Browser Used For?
People use a TOR browser to browse the web anonymously to avoid surveillance, to keep websites from fingerprinting, and to keep their traffic private. People also use TOR browsers to access services regular browsers cannot access.
DuckDuckGo, a privacy-enhanced search engine, is a .onion site that doesn’t track user data. However, some people use TOR browsers to access the dark web, a private network, and access information to perform illegal activities.
The dark web is the part of the internet that is not indexed by search engines. There are many types of websites on the dark web that need specific software to access. On regular browsers, people can surf the public internet. Here IP addresses are exchanged with websites.
On TOR browsers used to access the dark web, users do not disclose their real IP addresses. The dark web is synonymous with TOR browsers.
Who Is A TOR Browser Made For?
Military, politicians, journalists, and criminals alike use the dark web. The United States Navy originally designed TOR browsers to protect US government secrets. However, TOR browsers are not an open-source platform that anyone can use.
According to The TOR Project metric, Germany has the most daily TOR users at 48.77% and the US has the second highest rank with 19.54%. Politicians may use the dark web to keep their communications away from the public eye.
Journalists protect the identities of their informants using TOR browsers. Human rights activists and dissidents also use TOR browsers to bypass internet censorship implemented in their country. TOR browsers are ideal for secure business transactions because the communications are relatively untraceable.
Forums and online marketplaces use TOR to make their transactions more secure. However, some TOR users also engage in criminal activities through the dark web. People use the dark web to sell malware products, credit card details, or usernames and passwords from data breaches.
These underhanded transactions can be very lucrative for criminals. According to Statistica, the average price of premium-quality malware attack services on the dark web was about USD 4,500 as of 2023. People also conduct human trafficking, post jobs for hitmen, and much more through the deep web.
It is not illegal in most countries to access TOR browsers or the dark web, but law enforcement has learned to use the dark web to help them track down criminals using various techniques. They also get information on the dark web from anonymous sources.
How Secure Is A TOR Browser?
There are three levels of security with a TOR browser. The default setting is very user-friendly; however, it has the lowest level of security. The second level has more security but slower speeds. JavaScript-enabled sites may run slower because this setting disables JavaScript on non-HTTPS sites.
The highest level of security disables some fonts, images, and JavaScript on all sites. TOR browsers protect against traffic analysis, but end-to-end correlation is still possible. End-to-end correlation is the process of gathering more than one data point from a data stream to identify the source.
TOR browsers are also weak to consensus blocking, which is when a malicious user temporarily blocks consensus nodes from communicating. This attack is similar to a denial of service (DoS) attack. Tor exit nodes are also vulnerable to eavesdropping.
The traffic is not end-to-end encrypted (E2EE). So, someone can intercept traffic and reveal information about the source. Another weakness is a sniper attack where a hacker overwhelms exit nodes until they run out of memory.
As the attacker reduces the number of functioning exit nodes, it is more likely that traffic will pass through one of the exit nodes the hacker controls. Additionally, websites can block users who use a TOR browser from accessing their page.
How Do You Install a TOR Browser?
On Windows:
- Navigate to the TOR browser download page. Then, to download TOR for Windows select the .exe file.
- Experts recommend that you verify the file’s signature to prevent malware.
- Next, once the download is complete, double-click on the file. You will need to complete the installation process.
On Mac OS:
- Navigate to the download page on Tor Browser. Download the .dmg file.
- Once again, it is recommended that you verify the file’s signature.
- Then, double-click on the file once the download is complete to finish the installation process.
On GNU/Linux:
- Go to the TOR browser download page.
- Download the .tar or .xz file and verify the file’s signature.
- For the Graphical method: Extract the archive using an archive manager and navigate to a newly extracted Tor Browser directory. Right-click “start-tor-browser.desktop.” Open “Properties” and change the permission to allow executing files as the program. Then, double-click the icon to open the browser.
- For the Command-line method: Once the download is complete, extract the archive using the command “tar-xf [TB archive]. Then, launch the Tor Browser inside the Tor Browser directory using the command “./start-tor-browser.desktop
How Does a TOR Browser Compare to a Proxy Server?
A proxy server hides your IP address and location by acting as an intermediary between a website or service and yourself. Proxies do not encrypt the internet traffic.
Tor browsers use multi-layer encryption to hide your data, prevent tracking, and obscure your location and IP address. You can use a combination of a Tor browser with a proxy server if you wish to hide the fact you are using a TOR.
This may give you the ability to access websites that block TOR users. However, using a proxy server will not keep your internet traffic as private as a TOR browser, and there are no added cybersecurity benefits from pairing the two.
How Does A TOR Browser Compare To A VPN?
A virtual private network (VPN) is another way to mask your IP address and keep your internet connection safe. People use VPNs for a variety of uses.
You can use a VPN to bypass geographic content restrictions, to surf the internet more securely on public Wi-Fi, to protect yourself while gaming online, for streaming, to avoid ISP throttling, and get around network blocks. VPNs work by encrypting your data to prevent eavesdropping.
You simply connect to a VPN server, and then access a website. Your device will reroute the traffic through your VPN, so it appears as if your internet activity is coming from this server. Since multiple people use this server, it is difficult for websites, services, the government, and criminals to track down your location.
Both TOR and VPN reroute your web traffic to another network, but a VPN is operated by a central service provider, while TOR networks are decentralized. They both take different approaches to rerouting your data. A VPN reroutes your data to the internet.
A TOR reroutes your data to independent nodes. TOR browsers are slower than VPNs, but they are better at obscuring users’ identities.
Combining VPNs and TOR browsers
Some people choose to use VPN and TOR browsers together to create an added layer of security. There are two ways to use the two in conjunction. The first combination is onion over VPN. With this combination, data is encrypted by the VPN, then again by TOR.
The data is then sent to the VPN server. The data is sent through a series of nodes. Then, if you visit a .onion address, data is decrypted at the destination. If you visit the public web, your data is decrypted through a TOR exit node and forwarded to the website.
Combining the two can keep your ISP from seeing what you’re using the TOR for. You can also securely access both .onion and public websites. You can anonymously surf the web, and you can use just the VPN for normal browsing.
Some of the downsides of this combination, however, can be that some websites and apps can still see that you are using a TOR exit node and block you. Your VPN provider can also see that you are using a TOR. Tor exits are still weak points where data can be compromised.
Using both together can also slow down your internet connection. The second combination is VPN over onion. In this setup, the traffic passes through the TOR and then through the VPN. This setup is less secure and more difficult to set up.
It does prevent your ISP from seeing that you are using a VPN. You can access websites and applications that normally block TOR traffic. Your data will be less vulnerable at TOR exit nodes.The cons of this combination are that your ISP can see that you are using a TOR.
You cannot visit dark websites. Your VPN provider can see your internet traffic, and TOR entry nodes can see your real IP address.
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Conclusion
A TOR browser can be an effective web browser to use for added privacy online. However, certain websites block TOR browsers and onion services are often associated with the dark web and illegal activities.
If you are looking for a way to mask your IP address and prevent third parties from tracking your activity online, you may want to check into getting a VPN service. VPNs protect your internet traffic with an encrypted tunnel.
For added privacy, you can pair a TOR browser with a VPN.
