All Questions
5,807
questions
89
votes
8
answers
211k
views
Can I exit from a specific country or node?
Lets say I want to get Netflix to work via Tor. Currently I keep pressing "new identity" until my traffic is exiting from a country supported by Netflix. I use Tor bridges to access the network.
Is ...
- 1,133
81
votes
1
answer
45k
views
How do onion addresses exactly work?
I understand that the .onion address is a public key of sorts, but not much more than that (I can vaguely guess, though).
When nobody knows the IP of the .onion address, how do requests reach it? Are ...
- 913
54
votes
4
answers
64k
views
Running a virtual machine (VM) that can only connect through Tor
Running normal applications has the problem that any remote code execution vulnerability in the application totally compromises the user. This isn't just a theoretical attack, a vulnerability in ...
- 692
53
votes
3
answers
76k
views
How does Tor route DNS requests?
Tor can only handle TCP connections, but DNS is a UDP protocol. How does Tor route DNS requests over its TCP based network? Why can the same approach not be used to route all UDP traffic over Tor?
- 2,610
50
votes
7
answers
149k
views
How can BitTorrent traffic be anonymized with Tor?
This blog post from a few years ago suggests that using BitTorrent services over Tor is a bad idea for multiple reasons. However, it also suggests some fixes to get over these problems.
Is using a ...
- 1,053
41
votes
6
answers
7k
views
Can a hidden service be hosted by multiple instances of Tor?
Is it possible for multiple Tor clients, running on different machines or even networks, to publish the same Tor hidden service using the same private key to load balance requests between them?
- 1,485
40
votes
5
answers
51k
views
How can I anonymize my SSH traffic using the Tor network?
I have a working installation of Tor. I am able to both access hidden services and proxy my clear-net traffic through Tor. My main source of traffic so far has been HTTP.
I would like to know how I ...
- 545
39
votes
4
answers
61k
views
Does Google know that I am using Tor Browser?
Whenever I search something through Google using Tor Browser, it:
Either shows me the Google Sorry page and doesn't allow me to proceed further:
Or asks me to enter the CAPTCHA to view the search ...
- 501
34
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Why does Tor Browser Bundle ship with JavaScript enabled?
Tor Browser Bundle ships with NoScript (which can disable JavaScript), but NoScript’s functionality is disabled. This means that by default in the Tor Browser Bundle, all JavaScript code is allowed to ...
- 2,610
34
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What universities / labs are researching Tor security?
Are there universities and labs that are unaffiliated with the Tor Project that are researching Tor and Onion Routing and contributing back to the Tor Project (be it in code, security audits, or just ...
user5
32
votes
2
answers
275k
views
Does my ISP know what sites I have visited if I am using Tor?
My question is basically what the title says: does my ISP know what sites I have visited if I am using Tor?
I know that my ISP can know that I am using Tor. In addition I know that my ISP cannot read ...
John Smith
32
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Why does check.torproject.org sometimes tell me I'm not using Tor, when I am?
There are a variety of (usually rare) situations where https://check.torproject.org/ will give you a false negative -- that is, it says "you're not using Tor" when you are.
The FAQ does not explain ...
- 3,421
29
votes
3
answers
22k
views
My ISP/Network/Government has blocked access to the TorProject website. How can I download Tor?
I'm trying to download Tor but my ISP/Network administrator/Government has blocked access to the TorProject website. How do I download Tor?
- 2,754
29
votes
2
answers
18k
views
What are good explanations for relay flags?
We received an Atlas patch that adds tooltips to relay flags, so that relay operators can better understand what these flags mean. The patch author used dir-spec.txt as their guide. I wonder if ...
- 1,409
28
votes
4
answers
65k
views
Should I run Tor in a VM?
I've heard advice that to further protect my anonymity/privacy it's best to run Tor (the Tor Browser Bundle) in a Virtual Machine, which you would ideally roll back after each use.
What extra ...
- 972
28
votes
3
answers
13k
views
How does a Tor client pick Tor nodes for circuit creation?
A Tor client initially contacts Directory Authorities to fetch the consensus (i.e. a file containing all relays of the Tor network at that time with details such as IP address, exit policy, public key ...
- 2,526
28
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How strong is the anonymity of a hidden service compared to an average Tor client? How much easier is it to learn the Hidden Service's IP address?
Another way of putting this: How hard would it be to de-anonymize a hidden service? By "de-anonymize" I mean revealing the IP address of whatever server the hidden service is hosted on. Of course, ...
- 657
27
votes
2
answers
59k
views
How to check if Tor is working and debug the problem on CLI?
Tor service is not working
I have installed Tor on a command-line only environment (without the browser), so I can't type in check.torproject.org with a browser. Tor is used by a script to request ...
- 377
26
votes
1
answer
26k
views
.onion Domains DNS lookup
How does Tor resolve .onion Domains? Are there also some central DNS servers in the Tor network that store these records? Is there a chance that two hidden services generate the same domain name?
- 363
25
votes
2
answers
5k
views
How do Hidden Services get .onion domains that aren't random?
Hidden Services usually have a long-ish string of alphanumeric characters for their .onion address, and this is generated by Tor as part of the Hidden Service Configuration.
How did some Hidden ...
- 2,610
25
votes
5
answers
15k
views
Securely hosting a Tor hidden service/site
There are some detailed instructions for setting up a Tor site at torproject.org1. It seems that it would be most secure to use a dedicated machine for this task if possible. I've read elsewhere that ...
- 749
25
votes
6
answers
56k
views
How to run Tor on Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi?
The Debian/Ubuntu packages from deb.torproject.org[docs] do not work on the Raspberry Pi when running Raspbian:
$ tor --version
Illegal instruction
Why, and how can I still run Tor versions ...
- 5,148
23
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How can I prevent my different activities carried out over Tor being linked?
I know there are potential risks of carrying out multiple activities over Tor at the same time, when I don't want them to be linked.
For example, I might browse one website giving one pseudonym, then ...
- 1,730
23
votes
3
answers
1k
views
How to prevent the Mevade botnet from abusing the Tor network?
If the botnet admin decides to transmit data, maybe he alone could bring down the whole Tor network. The NTor circuit-level handshake in Tor 0.2.4 solved some problems, but the botnet is still ...
- 332
22
votes
8
answers
16k
views
How may I run multiple Tor relay instances in a single Linux machine?
Suppose I have a Linux machine (for example Debian) with more than one public IPs, sufficient bandwidth, memory and CPU resources.
How may I run more than one Tor relay instance in that single ...
- 2,526
22
votes
3
answers
345k
views
Why can't I open most of the onion sites?
I am rather new to Tor and not sure if it is something I missed, or that I have done wrong. Almost every single onion site (90% of them) I try to access shows the error message "Unable to connect".
I ...
- 221
22
votes
1
answer
33k
views
How to store passwords in Tor Browser?
The Remember passwords option in Tor Browser is greyed out.
In past versions of the Tor Browser Bundle there was a setting in Tor Button, but in v3.5 it's no longer there. How can I store passwords ...
- 221
22
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What are the implications of a Relay hosting a Hidden Service?
Are there any implications if whilst running a non-exit relay, I also use the same machine to host a Hidden Service?
Specifically:
How will this affect the anonymity of the Hidden Service (in terms ...
- 2,610
21
votes
3
answers
57k
views
What happened to Vidalia?
I just updated Tor Browser bundle today. I opened it and was surprised to find no Vidalia control panel. Where did Vidalia go and how do I control the things that Vidalia did (bridges, start and stop ...
- 913
21
votes
3
answers
81k
views
Where I can find, export or download the biggest list of all .onion addresses?
Where or how I can find, export or download the biggest list of all hidden service .onion addresses?
- 1,183
21
votes
1
answer
11k
views
Is it possible to look up the public key for a .onion-address?
I know .onion addresses are a (partial) hash of a descriptor which contains a public RSA key, so I was wondering: it is possible to see the public key that is found when connecting to a .onion hidden ...
- 313
20
votes
8
answers
35k
views
Can Tor be used with applications other than Web browsers?
From what I can see Tor mainly handles your web browser's traffic, but is there a way to do all of your connections through it? Like email, Dropbox, Carbonite backup, Skype etc?
(Please explain ...
- 375
20
votes
4
answers
62k
views
How to run multiple Tor browsers with different IPs?
I would like to run multiple Tor Browsers all at once, with each having a unique Tor IP address.
I would like to do this with the latest Tor Browser. Please post simple instructions, as I'm new to ...
user3562958
20
votes
2
answers
38k
views
How to run an obfs4 bridge?
I want to help censored users. How can I run an obfs4 (Pluggable Transport) bridge on a Debian-like GNU/Linux machine?
- 2,754
20
votes
3
answers
54k
views
How do I configure Chrome to use Tor?
Note: I am aware that the Tor Project recommends against this and I want to do it anyway.
I've downloaded the Tor Relay Bundle and everything seems to be working fine. I can see myself as a relay on ...
user994
20
votes
3
answers
18k
views
How to set up a Tor hidden service?
Seeing that I find the technical side of it extremely interesting, I want to try to set up a Tor hidden service. For this I am following the Torproject instructions. I installed Tor, have it running, ...
- 401
19
votes
3
answers
182k
views
Configure tor as proxy
I'm trying to use Tor as a proxy, to make other apps connect to the internet through the tor network. With Tor running and connected I opened another browser, and in the proxy settings I typed 127.0.0....
- 291
19
votes
3
answers
17k
views
How can I install Tor from the source code in the Git repository?
It is sometimes desirable to compile Tor from source, and perhaps run an unreleased version (e.g., to test the latest changes, use new features unavailable in the latest release, etc.). What is the ...
- 2,754
19
votes
2
answers
37k
views
Can't find torrc file on Mac
I just installed the TorBrowser (v. 6.0.1) on my mac (OS 10.11.5) - went to the torproject page and downloaded the installer for mac. I am seeing instructions online about changing my torrc file in ...
- 461
18
votes
3
answers
13k
views
For how long does a circuit stay alive?
How long does it take for Tor to expire a circuit and pick a new one? Is there a way to control this expiration time?
- 2,754
18
votes
2
answers
51k
views
"This is a SOCKS Proxy, Not An HTTP Proxy"
As the title says, I've been trying to use Tor as a proxy for Postman and I'm getting the following response when I try to make a request to a specific endpoint that does not support HTTPS
...
- 181
18
votes
7
answers
66k
views
Can Tails be installed as primary OS?
I have a netbook I only use when I'm away from home and I only ever use Tails on it. In order to avoid having to carry a Tails USB stick with me as well (which just sticks out the side) I'd like to ...
- 2,744
18
votes
4
answers
15k
views
Can I detect when someone is connecting to my server via Tor?
I run a web server. Can I distinguish between traffic that has been routed via Tor and that which hasn't?
- 972
18
votes
4
answers
15k
views
Is it possible to make the Tor onion-routing path longer?
By default, Tor uses an onion-routing path with three hops: entry, relay (middle) and exit. Is it possible to configure (or, if necessary, recompile) Tor to use more than three hops? This would lessen ...
17
votes
13
answers
219k
views
Can't connect Tor Network, failed to establish network
I've just started using the latest Tor Browser, connecting through my university connection. When I try to connect, it failed to establish connection with the network after waiting for a long time. I ...
- 171
17
votes
2
answers
8k
views
Google indexing Onion hidden sites?
So I was searching to see what happened to Dread Pirate Roberts, the creator of underground marketplace Silkroad, and I came across something very strange; onion websites URLs being crawled by Google (...
- 273
17
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How can I switch from one Tor Browser Bundle version to another? [closed]
I'm trying to use the Tor Browser Bundle (TBB) for everyday surfing. For convenience reasons I use bookmarks and sometimes install some addons. When a new version of the TBB comes out, I lose all of ...
- 8,570
17
votes
2
answers
26k
views
What happened to torrc in Tor Browser Bundle?
I just got finished a few weeks ago setting up my torrc to require connections to U.S. ExitNodes. I just used Vidalia to get into the "Tor Configuration File", and edited that. Worked great. Now I've ...
- 291
17
votes
3
answers
4k
views
How do I keep my Tor Browser Bundle current?
Usually I install software by using the relevant Debian packages from either Debian directly or through third party repositories like Tor's deb.torproject.org.
Unfortunately, at this time the Tor ...
- 5,148
17
votes
3
answers
604
views
Does my anonymity depend on the number of Tor users around me?
In other words, if there are many Tor users in my part of the world, do I get better or worse anonymity out of Tor compared to someone using it in an area with few Tor users?
- 546