TOR Network - Explained

Wikipedia defines TOR as free and open-source software for enabling anonymous communication by directing Internet traffic through a free, worldwide, volunteer overlay network consisting of more than seven thousand relays in order to conceal a user's location and usage from anyone conducting network surveillance or traffic analysis.

• TOR is short for The Onion Router.
• It is a network of servers designed to improve anonymity and privacy.
• Connected commuters can be configured to offer hidden/onion services.
• Onion routing was designed by the US army to protect their communications.

What TOR is designed to protect you from?

• It anonymizes the browser's connection to the websites.
• It prevents your ISP from knowing what site you are visiting.
• It prevents a site; you are visiting from knowing who you are, unless, you tell them (for example logging in to a Facebook account using TOR).
• Its focuses on protecting the transportation of the data only.
• It allows you to access the TOR DarkNet or hidden services.
• It prevents tracking.

How TOR network works?

• There are a lot of users for the TOR network which helps your traffic goes through theirs. 
• Traffic generally passes through three TOR devices (encrypted) before reaching the website (unencrypted).
• The first TOR device from where the traffic passes is called Entry Node; the middle ones are called Relay Node; then the last one from where the data goes to the resource unencrypted is known as Exit Node.
• These nodes are chosen at random so every time your traffic will pass through different TOR devices.   
• This process makes the data anonymous and hard to track back to its original user.

What TOR does not protect you from?

• Everyone (ISP) will know you are using TOR unless you made a special configuration.
• Cannot remove all browser vulnerabilities.
• No protection from OS, malware, man-in-the-middle, etc.

Weakness of TOR

• TOR is high profile for the nation-states. 
• Internet speed and latency will dramatically drop.
• No UDP on TOR.
• Difficult to prevent leaks.
• TOR is complex (complexity is the nemesis of security and breeds mistakes).
• Web browsers can also leak information.
• TOR is blocked by some websites.
• DNS leaking.
• Accounts logged in via TOR can be blocked, locked, or suspended.
• Browser Fingerprint.
• Data leaves the exit node unencrypted therefore can eavesdrop.
• Vulnerable to traffic analysis attacks (with focused monitoring and analysis of your network traffic someone can know what traffic is going through TOR)
• Use TOR when needed. (If not using TOR all the time, just for some time or something; will tell someone that you are doing something private)
• Relays and bridges can be blocked.

To know about How to access the TOR network, click here!

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