torbrowser
Latest
Tor Browser 7.0 works harder to protect your anonymity on its own
The latest update for privacy-minded folks' favorite way to surf the web should make others' attempts at tracking what they do even more difficult. The Tor browser's 7. 0 version introduces a sandbox feature that, according to an interview on the Tor blog, should "make life a lot harder" for people using a Firefox exploit to discern the identities of a user. "It's like Plato's Allegory of the Cave," Tor developer Yawning Angel said. "The only reality Tor Browser knows is inside of the sandbox (cave). We prevent it from interacting with the rest of your computer (the outside world), except via the Tor Network (shadows on the wall)."
Tor exploit targeted visitors to a Dark Web child porn site
Word has been circulating of a security exploit being used to compromise Tor Browser users, and we now know who some of the targets are. Motherboard has learned that the JavaScript-based attack was used to target visitors to The GiftBox Exchange, a Dark Web child pornography site. The discovery not only raised alarm bells on the shadier side of the Dark Web (one wiki warned that it was a "NIT," or a network investigative technique used by law enforcement), but led GiftBox to abruptly shut down on November 15th out of fear of police action. You won't find many people shedding a tear over the closure, of course. However, it raises a question: just who's using it?
The Dark Web has its first major news publication
The Dark Web has a nasty reputation (and deservedly so) but perhaps investigative news publication ProPublica being the first major media organization on the anonymized version of the internet can change that a bit. The reasoning? "We don't want anyone to know that you came to us or what you read," ProPublica's web developer Mike Tigas told Wired. The idea is that the publication wants to ensure that people reading its Pulitzer-winning work are safe in places like China where censorship reigns supreme. Or that anonymous sources or leakers can read the articles they provided information for without fear of being caught.
Tor to fork Firefox for simplified anonymous browsing, doesn't think you're paranoid
Soon political dissidents, whistle blowers, and those trying to cheat MLB.TV's blackout restrictions will have an easier way to protect their privacy thanks to a dedicated Tor Browser. For those of you unfamiliar with it, Tor is a tool for anonymizing web browsing and communications through encryption and proxy servers. Trouble is, it requires both a browser extension and a standalone app to work -- leaving average users "horribly confused," according to developer Mike Perry. So, the organization has decided to retire the Tor Button and create its own fork of Firefox with private browsing features baked in. As an added benefit, Tor will no longer be at the mercy of Mozilla to fix bugs that affect privacy and security. For now, the group will focus on its downloadable bundle with automatic configuration scripts for simplifying setup, but eventually the paranoid will have a browser they can finally call their own.
