Tor is an open source software used for browsing with complete anonymity, and even helps maintain anonymity through the dark web. It can be use for searching web pages which are not index.
Whenever a domain is register and a website is published, it will be index in search engines in order to access it globally with their own domain names.
When an web page is indexed it can be easily found by searching in normal search engines like google,yahoo,etc.. But a lot of websites are not index and illegal websites for human organ trafficking, drug dealing, weapons market, etc., cannot be found easily just by searching with a normal search engine.
It is not safe to visit those sites without perfect protection since those websites are already illegal, they are not abide by any law suits. Hence we use tor browser to be anonymous over the dark web.
How tor works?
As its name suggests tor ONION router means that, it works with a series of layers in order to protect our identity.It applies encryption in the application layer of a communication protocol stack.
When we try to reach any dark unindexed website, our request will be relay continuously through random nodes.
then finally it reaches the target. Each relay decrypts a layer of encryption to reveal the next relay in the circuit to pass the remaining encrypted data on to it.
The final relay decrypts the innermost layer of encryption and sends the original data to its destination without revealing the source IP address.Each pair of nodes will only know the details about its previous node.So it is really a hectic job to trace back the original source of the request.
This mechanism makes Tor browser a perfect technology for anonymity.
The principle of Tor, “onion routing”, was develop in the 1990s by US Naval Research Laboratory employees, Paul Syverson, and Michael G. Reed and David Goldschlag, with the purpose of protecting U.S. intelligence communications online. Onion routing was further develop by DARPA.
Purpose:
Most of the tor users are criminals and hackers who need their identity to be completely hidden and the rest of the users are journalists,and noob users.
Since it is globally available and anyone can use it,Selling illegal products has become an easy job and they can be well hidden under the hood so no law can offend them unless and until they leave any trail by mistake.
Many journalists use Tor to publish sensitive information about big shots in the society and protesters use it to voice out their views towards the government.
Since it is not suitable for video streaming and more responsive tasks,normal users won’t use Tor unless and until their concern is to mask their identity.
Disadvantages
Since our request passes through a random number of nodes it takes a lot of time even to process a single request.
Hence we cannot use tor for any responsive activities like gaming or media streaming.
Though Tor is really anonymous, it will definitely have flaws like any other man made technologies .Exits nodes of tor can be sniffed in the worst case.
Though your ISP cannot know what you are doing using tor, they can see that you are using tor browser, and that is more than enough to get suspicion about you.
Tor exit node is a place where Tor traffic comes out of the anonymous network and connects to the Internet. If criminals use Tor for illegal things and the traffic comes out of your exit relay, that traffic will be traceable to your IP address and you may be suspected for illegal activities.
Running a Tor exit node allows other people to do bad things that can be traced back to you, and it’s much more likely to get you into trouble.
The consequences may not be a criminal penalty, however. You may face a lawsuit.
Javascript, plug-ins, and other applications can expose your IP
Few safety precautions have to be taken before entering those websites and even before using tor browser.
- Always use a VPN before opening or browsing in Tor.
- Cover your webcam and microphone before surfing.
- Never open any financial websites and type any personal details.
- Never Download any file or upload anything from your pc.
- Run a virus scan after completing your work with Tor.
- It is better to visit HTTPS and HTTP sites as precaution.
- Never be connected with any gadgets like mobile, Pen drive, hard disk, etc.
Using a Tor browser won’t provide complete anonymity and has a lot of complications too. It is completely an individual’s choice and there is NO support that can be provided from the government if personal information or data has been lost. So it is better to stay away from those kinds of activities.
Alternatives to TOR:
- Tails
- Whonix OS
- Invisible Internet Project (I2P)
- Freenet
- Torch
- Ahmia
- Kilos
- Not Evil
- Candle
- Haystak
- Abiko
- Onion Land
Written By: D.Hari Haran
Reviewed By: Sayan Chatterjee
If you are Interested In Machine Learning You Can Check Machine Learning Internship Program
Also Check Other Technical And Non Technical Internship Programs
