Which browser to use for ramp. How to use the Tor browser - Installation, configuration and removal

Most Internet users have heard of Tor and have an idea of what this network is like. Its main goal is to allow people to hide their identity on the World Wide Web, as well as to interfere with surveillance mechanisms on the Internet. To access this network, the browser of the same name is used.

Many people are seriously convinced that to surf the web anonymously, all they need to do is install and run the Tor browser. But they are all deeply mistaken. In fact, you need to first configure your browser to ensure maximum privacy before diving into the dark web. Today's article will give practical recommendations on where to download, how to install, configure and use Tor, as well as how to behave on the deep web and what absolutely should not be done.

Where to download and how to install Tor Browser

It would seem that nothing could be simpler: download the application, run the installer and use it with a clear conscience. But no. The Tor browser can only be downloaded from the official website or trusted sources. It’s better to forget about torrent trackers, file dumpers and phishing sites. At best, there will be an outdated version of the software, at worst, a program infected with a virus. In the second case, there is no need to explain what is bad here, but the old version may have some vulnerabilities that were fixed in the update.

After this you will need to run the installation file. In the window that appears, select the interface language, then specify the path (by default, the path where the installation file is located), click the “Install” button and wait for the operation to complete.

Although any browser can be connected to the Tor network, it is important to use only the original Tor Browser. The fact is that this browser is configured accordingly, while others may leak confidential information.

First launch of Tor Browser

After installing Tor, you will be greeted by a window where you will be asked to “Connect” or “Set up” the connection. You can press the first button right away. If the browser cannot establish a connection, you need to click the “Configure” button and activate the “Tor is prohibited in my country” item, where you also check one of the boxes. If you activate the first point, you need to select the “obfs4” type in the drop-down list, in the second, you will be asked to complete a captcha and then the so-called. bridges.

Also, when you first start, on the initial page “About the Tor Project” you need to click on the link “New to Tor Browser? Let's start" in the upper left corner and take the "young fighter course". In the “Security” section, you will need to select one of three options that limit or completely disable JavaScript and some functions on sites.

Tweaking Tor Browser

Now that the browser has managed to connect to Tor services, it’s time to fine-tune it. There are several ways to do this, and we will now consider each of them.

Setting up the NoScript extension

The Tor browser comes pre-installed with the NoScript extension for a reason. In skillful hands, this is a very powerful tool that allows you to reduce the risks of de-anonymization to almost zero. By default, NoScript is configured quite well, but it’s still worth talking about the additional features of this extension that will protect you even better.

To change NoScript settings, you need to click on the add-on icon in the upper right corner of the browser and go to settings by clicking on the “Settings...” button. Next, you should change the settings for all trust levels (default, trusted, untrusted).

For the “Default” and “Untrusted” levels, it is recommended to uncheck all items, for “Trusted” - select all or several required ones.

Here are the designations of this or that item:

Script - various types of scripts that run on websites
Object - HTML elements tagged with object
Media - multimedia content
Frame - frames that the site is trying to load
Font - fonts
WebGL - WebGL elements
Fetch - API for making various HTTP requests
Other - unknown elements

Also, on the “General” tab, you should not activate the “Global disable restrictions” item, and on the “Advanced” tab, be sure to check the “Secure suspicious cross-site requests” checkbox.

In addition, you can fine-tune different resolutions for any site. For example, for one resource, allow the execution of only scripts and multimedia, for another, disable custom fonts. You can set trust levels only temporarily or forever.

Configuring hidden browser options

In addition to the NoScript extension, it would be a good idea to configure the browser itself to further protect itself from possible leakage of confidential data. Although Firefox is considered a safe browser, especially with the Tor add-on, it still has controversial issues that have not been changed by default for various reasons.

To find those hidden parameters, you need to enter “about:config” in the address bar. Then enter the following values into the search one by one and change them. To edit parameters, double-click with the left mouse button or right-click and select “Switch”. Here is a list of features that need to be changed:

"javascript.enabled" → false
"network.http.sendRefererHeader" → 0
"network.cookie.cookieBehavior" → 2
"browser.ping-centre.telemetry" → false
"toolkit.telemetry.archive.enabled" → false
"toolkit.telemetry.bhrPing.enabled" → false
"toolkit.telemetry.firstShutdownPing.enabled" → false
"toolkit.telemetry.hybridContent.enabled" → false
"toolkit.telemetry.newProfilePing.enabled" → false
"toolkit.telemetry.reportingpolicy.firstRun" → false
"toolkit.telemetry.shutdownPingSender.enabled" → false
"toolkit.telemetry.updatePing.enabled" → false
"toolkit.telemetry.server" → remove all values in the line

After these steps, some sites may not work correctly in this browser. Therefore, you can always return some settings to their previous state, but this, of course, is not recommended.

Changing the Tor Browser configuration file

The Tor developers have provided several more points that can help protect yourself even better, as well as increase the speed of the network. These values need to be edited in the configuration file; they cannot be found in the graphical interface. However, this will not be difficult to do.

To edit the configuration file, you will need to go to the folder where Tor Browser is installed and open the file along the path “/Browser/TorBrowser/Data/Tor/torrc”. Now you can add the necessary values at the end of this file. We will list only the most important of them.

ExitNodes (COUNTRY)
For example, ExitNodes (us) or ExitNodes (us),(de),(fr)
This parameter overrides the default output node. You can set one value or several. The country is indicated as a 2-letter ISO3166 code.
EntryNodes (COUNTRY)

This parameter overrides the default input node. You can set one value or several. The country is indicated as a 2-letter ISO3166 code.
ExcludeNodes (COUNTRY)
For example, EntryNodes (us) or EntryNodes (us),(de),(fr)
This parameter tells Tor which nodes should not be used to connect to the network and should be avoided. You can set one value or several. The country is indicated as a 2-letter ISO3166 code.
StrictNodes NUM
For example, StrictNodes 0 or StrictNodes 1
This parameter tells Tor whether it can connect to prohibited nodes (defined in the previous paragraph). If the value is set to “1”, then the browser, in the case of nodes found only from the exclusion list, will not be able to access the network. If the value is “0”, access to the network will continue even through excluded nodes.

As mentioned above, we have listed only a few of the most significant meanings that are understandable to the average user. And the entire list of current parameters and commands that can be set and what values to assign to them can be found in the official documentation.

How to use Tor Browser

No matter how well you set up your browser, NoScript extension, correct configs, etc., it will not be able to protect you 100% from personal data leakage and de-anonymization. After all, the most important point that determines this is the human factor. In this section we will list what you should never do when using the Tor browser.

Do not install unnecessary and untested extensions in the browser.
There is no excuse not to disable the NoScript add-on.
Frequently update the node chain and switch the “New Identity”.
Don't open the Tor Browser in full screen.
Do not run Tor Browser with administrator rights.
Never access your mailbox, social networking accounts or other resources that contain any information about you or that are in any way connected to your real accounts. The only exceptions are Onion sites and forums. And of course, you need to create a separate email to register on such resources.
Use the main system instead of the virtual one to access the Tor network.
Check all files downloaded from the darknet for viruses, run them on a virtual machine when the Internet is turned off, and do not do this on the main system.
Regularly check your browser for updates and install them promptly.
You shouldn’t blindly trust people “on the other end of the line” - there may be law enforcement agencies there (if you did something illegal), as well as hackers or ordinary “scammers” who are looking for easy money.

If you adhere to these rules, the risk of revealing your identity will be very difficult. No one will ever be able to completely protect you: all technologies can be hacked by a person, since they were created by him, and the rest depends on you and your behavior.

In today's article, we discussed important topics on installing and configuring the Tor browser, as well as correct behavior on a secure network. Everyone can learn something important, whether you are paranoid or an ordinary user who wants to get to a blocked site. If you are not satisfied with the connection speed in Tor and do not need total de-anonymization, but at the same time you need to switch to resources that are not available in your country and protect your data from your provider or other inquisitive persons, we recommend you.

If you have any questions or have something to add to the article, write about it in the comments.

If you think that in order to surf the web anonymously you just need to download Tor and run it, you are very mistaken. Today I will show you how to properly configure Tor to ensure maximum anonymity. Also, as part of this article, I will give practical recommendations on how to use Tor correctly. How to behave correctly on the deep web, what you can do and what you can’t do.

You may be interested in the article “”, in which we talked about what other networks exist besides the well-known Web, and the article “”, in which we reviewed the best search engines on the deep web.

Let me remind you that using the search form on the site you can find a lot of information on the topic of anonymity on the Internet and about Tor in particular.

Where and how to download Tor correctly
How to install Tor
How to set up Tor
Setting up the NoScript extension
Configuring hidden browser options
How to use Tor

We are for freedom of speech, but against criminals and terrorists. I really hope that this article will be useful exclusively to the first category of people. In any case, we are not responsible for any illegal use of the Tor program by you.

How to download Tor

It seems that it can be difficult to download and that’s it, but not everything is so simple. You need to download only from the official website of the developers. Not the old versions from software portals and torrent trackers, but only the latest version from the officials.

Why is it advisable to always install the latest version and update the installed version promptly? Because the old version may have zero-day vulnerabilities that can be used by specialists to figure out your real IP address and even infect your system with malware.

You can download the Russian version of Tor using this direct link. The English version is downloaded by default. If you need the Russian version of Tor, then select “Russian” in the drop-down menu under the “Download Tor” button. There you can download the version of Tor for: Apple OS X, Linux and smartphones.

How to install Tor

After downloading the program, let's begin installing it. Double click the mouse to launch the downloaded file. The following window will appear:

Installing Tor

Select the location where you want to install Tor. If there is nothing to change, by default Tor will install itself in the folder where the installation file is located.

Installing Tor

Click “Finish”.

Click on the “Connect” button

Let's wait for the browser to load.

How to set up Tor

Now let's start setting up Tor. First of all, let's configure the NoScript extension correctly.

After reading your comments to the article, I realized that you did not understand me quite correctly. My friends, these hardcore settings are more applicable for the darknet, to ensure maximum anonymity and resist de-anonymization by law enforcement agencies and hackers. If you want to use Tor or just change the IP address, then you don’t need these settings! You can use Thor straight out of the box.

Setting up the NoScript extension

The Tor developers have equipped their software with a very important and useful NoScript plugin, which is installed by default, but unfortunately is not configured by default.

To configure NoScript, click on the add-on icon on the left side of the browser. In the menu that appears, select “Settings”.

On the “White List” tab, uncheck the “Global script permission...” box.

Go to the “Built-in objects” tab and check the required fields. Everything is exactly as shown in the screenshot below.

Configuring hidden browser options

Now let’s configure the Browser itself; to do this, you need to go to the hidden settings. We wrote more about the hidden privacy settings of the Firefox browser in the article “” and in the article “”.

So, in the address bar we write “about:config” and press enter. After this, a warning window will appear, in which we click on the blue “I promise that...” button and move on.

Browser Settings

Here we need to find and change some critical settings. First of all, we change the loading and processing of Javascript. This can be done by changing the “javascript.enable” parameter.

In the search bar, which is located under the address bar, write “javascript.enable” and press enter. Now right-click on the “Switch” item, which will change this parameter from “True” to “False”.

Disabling Javascript

In the same way, we find the parameter “network.http.sendRefererHeader” and change it from the value “2” to the value “0”.

Disabling HTTP Referer

Find the “network.http.sendSecureXsiteReferrer” parameter and change its value to “False”.

Disabling SecureXsiteReferrer

Find the parameter “extensions.torbutton.saved.sendSecureXSiteReferrer” and change its value to “False”.

Disabling SecureXSiteReferrer

Find the parameter “network.cookie.cookieBehavior” and change its value from “1” to “2”.

After these changes, some sites may not work correctly in this browser. But you can always return the previous settings, which I certainly do not recommend doing.

How to use Tor

After you have made all the settings, I want to tell you how to use Tor correctly. Here is a list of rules that everyone who uses Tor must follow:

Do not install unnecessary and unverified extensions in the Browser.
There is no excuse not to disable the NoScript add-on.
Frequently update the node chain and reload the browser.
Do not open the Tor browser (Mozzila Firefox) in full screen.
Do not use the Tor browser with admin rights.
Never use your username and password to log into your main email or your real social network accounts that contain any information about you or that are somehow connected to your real accounts. The only exception is the authorization form for Onion sites and forums. And of course, for such sites it is advisable to use a separate mailbox, which is also not associated with your real mail.
Check all files downloaded from DeepWeb for viruses. We wrote about how to properly check downloaded files for viruses in the article “”. Run these files only on a virtual system. We wrote about choosing a virtual machine in the article “” and how to install and configure a virtual machine to scan files for viruses in the article “”.
Update the Tor Browser promptly.

I also recommend using an anonymous operating system or another anonymous OS. Use the search, on the site we once reviewed the best anonymous operating systems.

The anonymity of Tor depends only on you and your online behavior; not even the most anonymous Browser will protect your system and your information from the user’s crooked hands. Be careful, don't be fooled. If in doubt, it is better not to click, not to follow the link, and of course not to download.

The Deep Web is not always a friendly environment. There you can also get hurt by people in suits if you do something not very illegal. And from hackers or just scammed if you are a fluffy, naive dandelion user.

That's all, friends. I hope you were able to configure Tor correctly. Good luck to everyone and don't forget to follow us on social networks. This is not the last article on the topic of Tor anonymity and information security.

Full name: Tor Browser Bundle. Built on the Mozilla Firefox platform and is one of the most anonymous browsers in the world. When using the Internet, changes your IP address to a random IP address. Uses IP from different countries: Romania, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany. Does not store cookies or a log of visited sites, does not remember logins and passwords. Uses a special secure network of anonymous proxy servers.

Installing Tor

You can download this browser from the official website: https://www.torproject.org/download/download-easy.html.en

Select your language and click Download Tor Browser Bundle:

Run the downloaded file:

Click OK:

Install:

Ready:

Using Tor Browser

Launch the program. If you haven't unchecked Launch Tor Browser Bundle After the installation is completed, it will start automatically.

When you first launch you will see a window Tor network settings. Here you need to select the connection type. Nowadays, in most cases the first option is suitable - a button Connect:

After this, the browser connects to the Tor network, which will hide your real IP address, ensuring your anonymity. Wait for connection to the network:

For greater privacy, you can request English versions of pages. But this is not a key indicator of anonymity. You can click No:

Tor browser is not installed on the system in the traditional way, because... is a portable application. You can carry the program with you on a flash drive. By default, when unpacking it is placed in the folder Tor browser on the desktop:

You can move the browser folder to any location. When you want to launch TOP to anonymously visit a site, go to the program folder and run the file Start Tor Browser.exe:

After pressing the button New identity and before using a new IP address, go to 2ip.ru and see what has changed.

To imitate another identity, it is advisable to change not only the IP, but also the country. If necessary, press the button Tor, select item New identity (New Identity), until the country changes:

Attention! Due to the fact that when working through the Tor browser, traffic goes through many proxy servers, the page loading speed is much lower than through a regular browser.

If you are tired of the feeling of prying eyes watching you in order to sell something, then it’s time for you to find out what the Tor browser is.

Personal information left by the user on social networks, online stores, on the websites of government organizations and simply in search engines is of great interest, first of all, to the same search companies. They process user preferences to improve their algorithms and improve the quality of search results.

In addition, hungry attackers are prowling the depths of the Internet, wanting to gain access to the data of your bank cards and electronic wallets.

Marketers also contribute to monitoring your movements on the Internet: it is very important for them to find out what can be sold to you based on the queries that you continue to type into search engines. You just have to log into your mailbox, and there are already very important offers to go there and buy something, having previously studied in such and such a course, not free, of course.

One can only assume, but, most likely, the intelligence services are also interested in your information, at least from the position of total control over the population, of course, for the sake of national security. After summarizing all of the above, a natural desire arises to avoid such dense attention surrounding the ordinary Internet user. And this is precisely the opportunity that the Tor browser can provide you with.

The Onion Router

So what is tor? TOR browser is free and open source software, the name of which is an acronym for The Onion Router, and in Russian: onion router, or onion router. The name of the browser reflects the basic principles on which its encryption system is built, written in the programming languages Python, C and C++. In general, the system is a network of proxy servers that establish an anonymous connection in the form of a virtual tunnel, in which it is impossible to calculate the user’s location, since data transmission is encrypted.

Through the use of an extensive system of servers, or information nodes, this browser allows the user to remain anonymous, invisible to all potential scammers, robbers, spies and other users with reduced social responsibility. With its help, you can create your own websites without advertising their location, and you can also contact those sites that are blocked by official censorship.

Mike Perry, one of the developers of Tor, believes that the browser can provide a high level of protection even against spyware such as PRISM.

History of appearance

Tor Browser was largely created at the US Navy Research Laboratory while US intelligence agencies were working on the Free Heaven project. For some unknown reason, the project was closed, and all the source codes ended up on the public network, where talented programmers caught them and organized the Torproject.org community. Here the browser has already been finalized by volunteer developers, although it continues to be improved, developed and updated to this day.

Just a year ago, Tor already had more than 7,000 system nodes installed on all continents of the Earth, excluding Antarctica, and the number of network users exceeded 2 million. According to Tor Metrics statistics, in 2014, Russia joined the top three countries using the Tor browser most actively. Since the browser is an open-source system that various programmers have worked on for more than 15 years, you don’t have to worry that it may turn out to be a tricky one, and instead of protecting information, it will steal it.

It is the open source code of the browser that gives us a guarantee of the safety of its use.

Video review of the browser, a little history and main purpose

How the system works

The existing TOR technology allows any user to access any website without leaving any traces behind. That is, on the site you visited, they will not be able to track the IP address of your computer, which means they will not be able to identify you. This will not be available even to your Internet provider. And the browser itself will not store information about your movements on the Internet.

The operating principle of the bulbous system can be represented as follows:

1. Communication centers are being formed, installed in different countries by apologists for this technology. 3 random nodes are used to transmit data, but no one knows which ones. The data that users transmit is encrypted multiple times, with each level of encryption being another layer of the onion router package. It should be taken into account that only the path, or routing, is encrypted, and not the contents of the information packets themselves. Therefore, if you want secret information to reach the recipient completely safe, additional encryption will be required.

2. At each subsequent node through which a packet of information is transmitted, one layer of the cipher is decrypted, containing information about the next intermediate point. After reading this information, the used layer of the onion is removed.

That is, the browser transmits a packet to the first node that contains the encrypted address of the second node. Node No. 1 knows the key for the encryption and, having received the address of Node No. 2, sends a packet there, which is similar to the peeling of the first layer of onion. Node No. 2, having received the packet, owns the key to decrypt the address of Node No. 3 - another layer of husk has been removed from the onion. And this is repeated several times. Thus, from the outside it will be impossible to understand which site you ultimately opened in your Tor browser window.

Video instructions for installation and configuration

Disadvantages of the system

Search engines, an Internet service provider, or someone else who is already used to monitoring your web surfing may guess that you are using Tor. They won't know what exactly you are watching or doing online, but the fact that you want to hide something will become known to them. Therefore, you will have to study existing ways to enhance anonymity if you choose this path.

The Thor system uses simple computers, not high-speed ones. This leads to another drawback: the speed of information transmission on this anonymous network may not be enough to watch, for example, videos or other entertainment content.

Currently, the Tor browser is working and actively developing, using more than 15 languages, including Russian. The latest version of Tor was released on January 23, 2017. In some countries, the Tor Project website is blocked or censored, making it impossible to download the Tor Browser directly. In this case, you can use a mirror: Tor Browser Bundle on Github, but if mirrors are not available, you can try downloading it through the Gettor service.

Don't forget to leave your feedback about the browser

Once upon a time, the TOR browser was known only to a small circle of advanced users and developers. Today, this system has also gained popularity among fans of absolutely safe Internet surfing. This is not at all surprising, because recently more and more users are faced with the difficulties of closed access to Internet resources. The Roskomnadzor car functions quite productively, however, unfortunately, based on the principle “we cut the forest, the chips fly.” Therefore, there are always portals under blocking that pose absolutely no danger, but have a lot of useful information that people need. And not every user will like it when it is not he who decides which sites to view, but someone else. From a number of these problems, anonymization methods and the most comfortable and practical tool for confidential surfing, TOR, began to improve. Let's let him correct those minor misunderstandings that arise on the Internet today.

Use TOR extremely simple. The most efficient method for confidentially accessing the network is to download the browser installer from the official portal. The installer will unpack the TOR browser files into the specific folder you specified (by default this is the Desktop) and this, accordingly, will complete the entire installation process. All you have to do is launch the program and wait for a connection to the confidential network. Upon successful launch, you will see a welcome page with a notification that the browser is successfully designed to connect to TOR. From now on, you will be able to navigate the Internet absolutely without problems, maintaining confidentiality.

The TOR browser initially contains all the necessary options, so you most likely will not have to change them. You need to pay attention to the plugin "No script". This add-on to the TOR browser is required to control Java and other scripts that are hosted on portals. The thing is that certain scripts can pose a danger to a confidential client. In some cases, it is located for the purpose of de-anonymizing TOR clients or installing virus files. Remember that by default “NoScript” is enabled to display scripts, and if you want to visit a potentially dangerous Internet portal, then do not forget to click on the plugin icon and disable the global display of scripts.

Another method of accessing the Internet confidentially and using TOR is to download the distribution kit “The Amnesic Incognito Live System”. It includes a System that has many nuances that provide the highest protection for confidential clients. All outgoing connections are sent to TOR, and regular ones are blocked. Moreover, after using TAILS There will be no information about your actions left on your personal computer. The TAILS distribution kit includes not only a separate TOR browser with all the necessary additions and modifications, but also other functional programs, for example, a password manager, cipher applications and an i2p client for accessing “DarkInternet”.

TOR can be used not only to browse Internet portals, but also to access sites hosted in the pseudo-domain area .onion. In the process of viewing *.onion, the client will receive even greater confidentiality and reliable security. Portal addresses*.onion can be found in a search engine or in separate directories. Links to the main *.onion portals can be found on Wikipedia.