The Dark Web Comes to "Normal" People

Anyone who has read some of the books in the Janet Evanovich series whose titles all have numbers (One for the Money, etc.), they are familiar with the dark and mysterious character, Ranger. Ranger runs a security firm, and while few specifics are given about his company, it becomes obvious that he uses the "Dark Web" in the operation of his business. He has information and uses Internet navigation that "normal" people cannot or do not access on the web.

The Technology and Purpose of the Dark Web

The "Dark Web" is generally believed to be a place that is scary, that allows illegal operations (e.g., drug trafficking) to take place, and that is a place where law-abiding citizens just do not want to go. In fact, however, it is used by the U.S. government to promote and encourage democratic-leaning forces in autocratic and despotic countries. It is used by corporations to hide communications relative to their trade secrets. Yes, it is also used by those who want to hide their illegal activities, but the overall concept is privacy and anonymity. And for regular citizens, the appeal of anonymity and secrecy is becoming more and more attractive.

With the ability of the government to track any Internet use by "normal" people, and the explosion of hacking and theft of personal information through regular web channels, the issue of security and privacy looms large. Recently, the Democratic National Committee had all of its emails hacked (purportedly by Russia), and the leaks of those emails threatened the solidarity of this political party as it began its national convention.

Now, there is a movement afoot to bring the Dark Web to regular consumers who want to add layers of protection to their Internet use. This is particularly important as consumers are delving into Smart Home technology. What good is a Smart Home, for example, if, because it is linked directly to traditional servers, hackers can get in?

Enter Tor – Dark Web Technology Moves into the Daylight

The basic concept of Tor is simple. First, it is a software that lets people browse the web anonymously. The Tor Project is a non-profit organization, operated by volunteers who believe that Internet privacy is critical to a free society. It uses what it calls an "Onion Router" to disguise the connection between server and client. Instead of routing connections directly from client to server, it provides a different route, going through a few other routers, or layers, so that monitors/hackers cannot see the connection at all.

For those who are becoming users of IoT, especially for home security purposes, there is a lot of attractiveness in using Dark Web technology. And both Tor and its partner, the Guardian Project, have come to see the value of using their technologies to protect iOT users, especially when their dwellings and family members are concerned.

Because homeowners are increasingly using Internet-based technology to control everything from their lighting to their baby monitoring, the need for security beyond normal client-server connections has become apparent. The remote monitoring and control of home devices has led to an entirely new group of , not to mention easing activities such as break-ins. Though the majority of new IoT providers are leveraging the advanced security and authentication methods, some additional precautions certainly won't mind.

How the Guardian Project Operates

Guardian uses the same "onion" technology that Tor uses. It will obscure the location of servers to which clients are connected. Its software is called HomeAssistant, and it transforms an IoT hub into a fully hidden service. In short, hackers simply cannot find a homeowner's IoT service at all – they will not even know that it exists. This, of itself, is huge. If hackers don't know a security system is even in place, they will not "move in."

When using this software, homeowners will still have a passcode, in order to access the Guardian hub, something they are calling a "cookie."

Drawbacks? Yes, there Are

Setting up and using the new software is a hassle, much more so than using the traditional home security options, such as Google Home or Samsung SmartThings. But, if the goal is increased security, then the hassle may be worth the gain.

When homeowners use the other current options, they have to dismantle parts of firewalls to let remote devices in. Or, they have to trust that the cloud service they are using is "hacker-free." But public IP addresses, upon which all of this depends, are vulnerable to hacking, as are the products people put into their homes that they want to control remotely.

Still Just a Prototype

The Home Assistant Guardian software is still in the demonstration or concept stage. The goal is to make this software available to both "do it yourselfers" who want to set up their own home security systems using dark Web technology, to companies that provide IoT home security, monitoring, and device control to consumers, and to device manufacturers themselves who build IoT technology into their products for consumer use. According to representatives from both Tor and Guardian, they want to advocate the idea that Tor can be used for far more than anonymity on the web and to help those who would circumvent the law. It has a far broader use in the long run – a use that can give "normal" people much greater safety and security in their personal protection.

Beyond IoT

As is often a rather tired saying, "The possibilities are endless," onion technology may, in fact, be the answer to a whole host of web security issues. While financial and e-commerce organizations, and even government agencies continue to fight the continuing threat of hacking into their systems (think IRS, Defense Department, Target, etc.), with traditional encryption and firewall systems, perhaps the solution is to embrace the technology of the Dark Web. While it has traditionally been seen as a "bad" place to go, a place where criminals hang out, the technology itself has amazing potential for everyone.