Is TOR Still Anonymous? and How Were People Caught Using TOR?

[troubled soul]

Thinking about what level of Tor provide security ?
Just your internet connection + Tor = 100% privacy
Or there is a way you are unsafe from Authority ..
What area your opinion ?
Is TOR Still Anonymous?
and How Were People Caught Using TOR?

 

[Sols]

Tor without Tor Browser is less anonymous than Tor with Tor Browser. If you don't use Tor Browser, it's easier to fingerprint your browser and crossmatch that with other instances where that fingerprint has been found. With Tor Browser, the goal is to have the same fingerprint as so many other people it becomes a meaningless data point.

Most people who use Tor and are caught, are not caught because of Tor. They are caught because something else leads investigators to them.

 

[Jbb1]

Yes, but I suggest you block javascript as there was an attack using javascript that broke the anonymity in a previous tor version.

 

[jafo]

I use TAILS on a laptop WITHOUT a hard drive!
I use a special USB flash drive*** with TAILS installed on it to boot up.

*** I turn on write protection with a PHYSICAL switch. I use e.g. this one:

Amazon US has plenty. Confirm here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Physical...write+protect+switch,aps,246&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

 

[FantomOffshore]

Thinking about what level of Tor provide security ?
Just your internet connection + Tor = 100% privacy
Or there is a way you are unsafe from Authority ..
What area your opinion ?
Is TOR Still Anonymous?
and How Were People Caught Using TOR?

Read all this:

- Tor Documentation for Whonix ™ Users
- Free Haven's Selected Papers in Anonymity
- New low cost traffic analysis attacks and mitigations | Tor Project
- Whonix versus Proxies
- Hide Tor use from the Internet Service Provider

 

[peter taradash]

I think this is common sense: Peter Taradash, a/k/a/ "Grandpa" says: If someone is going to break the law with threats, harassment, extortion/blackmail attempts, they risk exposure. Tor, Proton or the Dark Web, etc. can't offer 100% anonymity. Some of the comments on this article offer additional ways to cover your tracks & gain enhanced privacy, but the best advice is: stay low profile. Don't do stuff to ruffle the feathers of the "authorities" with anything you do or post. Consider everything you do on the Internet as a "public record" that will lead the cops right to where you sleep. The ‘enemy’ can open & read all your online stuff. They can tap phone conversations or open snail-mail—with a court ordered search warrant. .. The thing to remember is that "the authorities" can open and read everything ONLY IF THEY CHOOSE TO. Their manpower limits mean they can only choose to seriously monitor only .001% of all traffic. Thus, ordinary blokes like us won't usually be surveyed unless we are "lawbreakers" or have dangerous 'hot' friends. Obviously, don't use words that will set off any alarms.

 

[jafo]

I think this is common sense: Peter Taradash, a/k/a/ "Grandpa" says: If someone is going to break the law with threats, harassment, extortion/blackmail attempts, they risk exposure. Tor, Proton or the Dark Web, etc. can't offer 100% anonymity. Some of the comments on this article offer additional ways to cover your tracks & gain enhanced privacy, but the best advice is: stay low profile. Don't do stuff to ruffle the feathers of the "authorities" with anything you do or post. Consider everything you do on the Internet as a "public record" that will lead the cops right to where you sleep. The ‘enemy’ can open & read all your online stuff. They can tap phone conversations or open snail-mail—with a court ordered search warrant. .. The thing to remember is that "the authorities" can open and read everything ONLY IF THEY CHOOSE TO. Their manpower limits mean they can only choose to seriously monitor only .001% of all traffic. Thus, ordinary blokes like us won't usually be surveyed unless we are "lawbreakers" or have dangerous 'hot' friends. Obviously, don't use words that will set off any alarms.

100% this!

 

[mraleph]

Thinking about what level of Tor provide security ?
Just your internet connection + Tor = 100% privacy
Or there is a way you are unsafe from Authority ..
What area your opinion ?
Is TOR Still Anonymous?
and How Were People Caught Using TOR?

There is no particular difference between corporate structuring and network one. TOR is one of the low latency mixer and overlay networks structured on relays - consider it as multi-hop VPN with clearnet masquerading and onion services access.

The complete and definite answer about TOR pros and cons is for entirely different forum and also requires explanation of its intricate logic.

Those relays can be/are compromised by advanced actors. Beside that, traffic can be correlated on entry and exit relays.

Is TOR anonymous? No. Accessing TOR entry node/relay will mark your IP address. Whether a correlation and subsequent identification is performed depends on how much you, a resource - onion service or some clearnet resource is important. Should TOR be used? Depends on your use case scenario - temporary anonymity may be achieved.

If by caught people you meant now convicts, they thought - assumed that TOR will protect them and they had bad OPSEC. LE has a lot of intelligence sources, not only TECHINT and DIGINT - it's always about human - somebody was a CI or undercover operative - in one case - Silk Road - a forum moderator was actually a DEA agent.

 

[0xDEADBEEF]

If by caught people you meant now convicts, they thought - assumed that TOR will protect them and they had bad OPSEC. LE has a lot of intelligence sources, not only TECHINT and DIGINT - it's always about human - somebody was a CI or undercover operative - in one case - Silk Road - a forum moderator was actually a DEA agent.

Some guy keeps writing about how there are no mutes in prison, he might be onto something.

 

[jafo]

somebody was a CI or undercover operative - in one case - Silk Road - a forum moderator was actually a DEA agent.

Very important: Even the feds can't keep their mouth shut :

(1) Former DEA Agent, Carl Force, Sentenced for Extortion, Money Laundering and Obstruction Related to Silk Road Investigation. - 2015

(2) Former Secret Service Agent, Shaun W. Bridges, Sentenced in Scheme Related to Silk Road Investigation - 2017

 

[JohnLocke]

I'm glad to find this kind of information here. I used to think that the TOR browser was super secure and anonymous, but it turns out that it isn't either. It takes a lot to truly move like a ghost on the internet.

 

[mraleph]

I'm glad to find this kind of information here. I used to think that the TOR browser was super secure and anonymous, but it turns out that it isn't either. It takes a lot to truly move like a ghost on the internet.

It was never - anonymous, private and secure. It was always a mixer and overlay multi-hop network. Declared as low latency, but slow as death curse.

Is it useful - yes. Should it be used in first and second hops after your URI - no. If you need to use it, optimal solution is multi hope - up to 3 under your control (10G VPS with multi VPN server backends where you can personaly experience "no logging" live - but it would be under your control) then chained with any commercial VPN and TOR after.

That would be the appropriate use case scenario nowadays. Simply connecting to TOR and believing in propaganda is like to believing in any religion. I always doubt.

Original use case scenario assumed USG employees remote access where the TOR was/is under USG control.