in. Most sites base your location on this IP, then serve up their
site or service in that language. You just have to switch the site
using any offered language preferences.
>> You might get messages saying that your IP is blocked,
or warnings that your account or system may have been
compromised. Again, this is dow n to unscr upulous t y pes abusing
the Tor system and giving exit-node IPs a bad name. Typically,
using the “New Identity” option can solve these issues.6
RUNNING NODES
We mentioned various types of nodes, which is a fancy
name for a server or PC running Tor in a special mode.
By default, you run Tor in client mode—you’re only accessing
the Tor network, rather than helping to run it. The network itself
is made up of three node types: entry, relay, and exit. The most
widespread are relay nodes, the intermediary nodes that pass
encrypted onion packages within the Tor network [Image C]—
technically, when you install the Tor Browser, you have everything
required to run one, but we’re not going to cover this. An entry
node is simply a relay node that’s run for long enough (68 days)
and proved to be reliable enough for the classification upgrade.
>> An exit node is where Tor traffic re-enters the standard
Internet and is sent on to its destination. If you wanted, you could
run an exit node, but this is not recommended. Due to the nature
of the traffic, exit nodes can draw the ire of not only your ISP,
but also local law enforcement. The Tor Project advises you to
inform both your ISP and local authorities that you’re running an
exit node to avoid such issues. So, it’s not something you should
do on a whim or with company servers.7
THE DEEP, DARK, DINGY WEB
So, Tor implements a network within the Internet network,
and just like the Internet, the Tor network can and does
have its own network of anonymous websites that get called
various things, such as the dark web or deep web, along with
Tor Hidden Services. There is a whole unseen world of .onion
anonymous websites that live within the Tor network.
>> You’re able to access sites with https://<16-character hash>.
onion—as an example, Facebook has an onion service at https://
facebookcorewwwi.onion that enables people living in oppressive
regimes to still use Facebook [Image D]. Or DuckDuckGo offers
an onion site at https://3g2upl4pq6kufc4m.onion.
>> As you can imagine, a good chunk of the dark web is taken
up by illegal activities, but that certainly doesn’t mean there’sno room for good elements. You can find a reasonable
list of legal sites at https://github.com/alecmuffett/real-
world-onion-sites.8
STAY SAFE OUT THERE
Tor isn’t a magic bullet to complete online privacy
or anonymity—if you do something silly, you will
expose yourself to anyone monitoring. A simple example
is that if you log into a service via Tor using your real
identity, that service and any bodies that are able to
monitor that service can then identify you. It’s the same
situation if you make payments with accounts linked
to your real identity, which is why Bitcoin and other
cryptocurrencies are popular.
>> Sharped-eyed readers might have spotted we
mentioned that entry nodes (aka guard nodes) do know
your real IP, although they have no idea where your
data is going. However, this has led to speculation that
government-run entry nodes could collate logs that tally
with exit node traffic, among other advanced techniques,
to monitor Tor users. This leads some people to running
a Tor-over-VPN combination, which certainly would
remove this one weak element in the Tor system.
>> This particularly applies to Google services,
searches, and accounts. It’s strongly recommended to
only use DuckDuckGo for search when on Tor, as it has a
reputable record of not tracking its search users, while
Google absolutely does track you. This extends to not
using the Google 4.4.4.4 and 8.8.8.8 DNS services.D©^
TA
ILS
,^ FA
CE
BO
OK
What happens if you’re out and about
and want to access the Tor network, but
on someone else’s PC? This could be at
an Internet cafe or perhaps using a work
system where you can’t install software.
Say hello to Tail s, an open-source
OS project that integrates Tor. Based
around a Linux distro called Debian,
Tails provides an ISO disk image that
you can install to a DVD or USB sick. This
can then be booted direc tly by most PCs,
and the OS runs straight off the drive.
This gives you direct access to all
the usual tools you’d like, alongside Tor
browsing, but once you’re done, just
power down and remove the stick, andall traces that you were ever there will
be gone.
To get star ted, head to https://tails.
boum.org, and click “Download.” It
offers step-by-step install instructions
for Windows, Mac, and Linux, but you
basically need to grab the ISO, and use
Etcher to write the image to a USB drive.
To run Tails on a PC, you must select
the boot drive when the PC is first
powered up at the BIOS/UEFI. Many
systems offer an early “Boot” menu,
accessed by tapping F9 (HP), F12 (Dell/
Lenovo), F8 ( Amibios), or F11 ( Award
BIOS) while powering up. Look for your
USB device, and off you go!CHASING YOUR TAILS
maximumpc.com MAR 2020 MAXIMUMPC 63