Tor Q&A

What platform is Tor available in? Tor is available in Windows, MAC, and Linux

Tails OS

Tails is a live operating system that you can start on almost any computer through a USB stick.
Use it to surf the web anonymously, write documents with out leaving any data behind,
Drawback is that you cannot have all your files on hand and doesn’t have programs you would normally use

VPN

VPN is only a single hop security, meaning that it can still give location and name information. If someone really wanted to know who you are and where you are, they could find out.
Tor does not save any of this information so you are a lot safer

Tor helps you create hidden services

Hidden services are websites that are anonymous, websites that can only be found through Tor and the Onion Network
AKA the dark network
Tor helps you create hidden services

Is Thor the first?

What does it take to set up?

Install what you would typically would install and then you go on to installing Tor
If you have a extra laptop, you can install Tor
They are working on creating hidden services

If an outside entity controls all of the nodes, are there any safe guards so that entities are not controlling nodes?

Tor has their own nodes
We are looking at nodes constantly, so people start to question when nodes are created, and people know who runes these nodes
Tor is looking at these things
If the NSA is targeting you

What is a node?

Is a computer that you create to. If you set up a node for a month, you get a freeeee Tor t-shirt

Exit node?

Running an exit node is the hard part, bc it doesn't open you to attention, it just runes the other relays.
Running an exit node is not for the inexperienced
Do not run exit nodes from your house (Comcast will complaint)
Hard to find ISPs that are willing to give you the ability to have an exit node

Did tor begin with the defense department?

Yes and no
Paper was written by, two researchers through the Navel Research Lab, it was a concept at first.

Why tor?

Depends on what your use case
Protect your self if an agency is after you
Get a lot more people to use it, this way it is harder to see what you are doing because the are so many users

Android VPN BitMask

Are there known incidents that one node as been hacked

There is a handful of nodes that were taken down, aka drug market nodes, if they do come back online, they are blacklisted and do not come back in the system

If there is any security advantage of having multiple hidden services in one server

Not better or worse, the situation that is worst if you are running in an area where it can be confiscated. There is no real downside.

Entry guards, what are the problems that entry guards are solving

The first node that you are entering is the entry nodes, and if it has been around for a while it becomes an entry guard. A bad node is given by high bandwidth, lots concurrent connections, areas that are questionable, all nodes that are coming from Syria, can we find out where these nodes are located, who is running this nodes.

Why three hops?

If you go over three hops you are not benefiting at all. It can actually become a threat. Hidden services take more hops. This is why facebook hidden services take a lot more time. Do not choose the number of hops.

Using email:

I2P

Tor response to more website blocking exit nodes Solution:

If you find that a website that is blocked through tor, send that website an email
There are projects that try to keep up with these websites
Do not use financial websites (banking) through tor bc banks will block your account

Navigation menu