How can you sftp over tor?

Question

I was wondering how I can upload files over the tor network. How can you sftp over tor?

Answer 1

In Windows, WinSCP works fine for me connecting to a SSHD hidden service through the standalone Tor proxy, locally on port 9050 (connection type SFTP-3). It also works connecting directly to the server over Tor instead of its onion counterpart.

In Linux it should be possible, using a sftp client that's SOCKS5-aware, e.g., I read that lftp can be built that way (configure --with-socks).

about lftp using socks5

Be aware, even if it works, there may be security implications. Do not rely on it for anonymity without looking in depth.

Answer 2

In the Tor wiki docs there's a TorifyHOWTO/FTP page.

Specifically on SFTP:

As SFTP is facilitated by SSH, configuring SSH to connect via Tor will allow you to use SFTP as well. If you have sufficient permissions on your local system and network, this is the recommended option for torifying your FTP traffic. For instructions and further information, see the torifying SSH documentation.

Answer 3

sftp does not work over tor out of the box.

Use the scp command instead of sftp.

Answer 4

I'm using Rebex Tiny SFTP Server for windows and configured it in tor. Working fine.

torrc file Settings

HiddenServiceDir X:\Tor Browser\hidden_sftp
HiddenServicePort 22 127.0.0.1:22