As defined by a web encyclopedia, a tool is an object (in this case a software) created for the purpose of performing a task, facilitating this or that action for a person.
In addition, we can say that the use we make of it does not depend on the tool itself. That is we can use it as we want.
The same happens with programs like Tor. To which we can give a ethical use or on the contrary an illegal one. But this depends on the user. In this post, we will show you what it is about and of course, how to use it correctly.
Why use Tor Browser to browse the Internet privately?
Hide the trail or browser fingerprint and personal data from hackers and online advertising. If you find yourself in risk of political persecution, religious or ideological, will keep you anonymous from governments or dangerous organizations. If you belong to this group, through Tor, you can minimize the risks of information theft, extortion, location, etc. This browser is also used to access the Deep web. It contains the sites not indexed by browsers.
At the same time has the largest amount of information on the Internet (the famous image of the iceberg). Among these it is possible to find harmful and illegal content and at the same time information censored by powerful groups (there is everything, even recipes). A third reason is the labor, if you use the software, for example, to check the security of a company. Also for investigation academic or simply to Learn more about privacy on the web.
What tools does the Tor browser offer us to improve our online privacy?
The main tool that this browser has to link with the open network that allows the user invisibility routing traffic through anonymous servers. Another service offered by this software is the trackers blocking. Thanks to him, you will not suffer from looking for a product and then finding hundreds of advertising banners referred to him. This tool works by isolating each site you visit and eliminating the cache, record Y cookies navigation.
Too encode online activity in real time. In this way, even if an intruder infiltrates the home network, it will be impossible for him to access the browsing data. The Tor logo is an onion. This choice is not random, but refers to the various security layers that has. In each of them the packages that we send and receive constantly while using the software are encrypted.
Although, it is not one hundred percent infallible, we will minimize the trace. We must not forget that the set of these tools gives us one of the most important reasons why we recommend using it. In many countries access to different websites is prohibited and blocked. This limits access to important information that is censored for political reasons. This browser offers the possibility of accessing this type of content.
Limitations of Tor Is it really the ultimate solution to being anonymous online?
As we mentioned earlier, like any other system, it is not foolproof. That is why it is recommended that be paired with a VPN service, to increase security. The most used for this are “NordVPN”, “ExpressVPN” and even “CyberGhost”.
Even so, if you access sites that are not with the HTTPS browsing protocol, a person who owns a server on the TOR network can control the data that goes out there. In this way, you are likely to access passwords and other data. Due to all the security layers that it uses and therefore the internal processes that it carries out in each operation, becomes a much slower browser than other more popular ones, even more than its cousin Firefox on which it is based.
For this reason, you will not get the same user experience, especially with multimedia content with audio and video. Much less with streaming. Another disadvantage is that being so “invisible” draws attention. While it is quite difficult for government agencies to access your data while using this browser, it is possible that They can see that you are using a tool to hide yourself. That is, they can know what you use Tor. Which, as we already mentioned, is used to access illegal content.
Learn step by step how to install and use Tor Browser on Kali Linux
The best way to use this browser, is through an operating system designed for similar purposes. The version Kali from Linux is one of the essential tools for any ethical hacking. In this post we will show you how to download, install and use this ideal complement.
Let’s see below:
to download
- The simplest for this is download it from this post, but you also have the possibility to obtain it through their site official Web
https://www.torproject.org/download/. - Access the site from your default application to surf the Internet.
- Once there, choose the button “Download for Linux” below the icon that represents it.
- Choose the destination location. The file with the extension xz.
Download Tor Browser for Linux
You should know that it is a portable program. So you can also take it on a pendrive wherever you go. In addition to the above way, we will show you how to do it from terminal.
Install
-
Sign in to terminal and run
sudo apt-get update. - To make sure use the latest version, also enter
sudo apt dist-upgrade -y. - The next step of installation is done through command
sudo apt-get install tor. - Respond with the letter “S” of Yes, for confirm.
This procedure is available only in the Kali repositorySo, if you try it from another version, it probably won’t work.
Set up
It is time to configure the browser to appear in the main menu:
- Inside it, click on “Main menu”.
- In the list, click on “Usual applications”.
- Choose the button “New element”.
- Inside this little window, place “Tor” in the box “Yam”.
- In Commnad enter the destination folder path. If you used the graphical installation it is probably this
“/etc/tor-browser_en-US/start-tor-browser.desktop”.
The addresses that this program usually opens may seem strange when compared with the traditional ones. Unlike the common web that uses domains like Wikipedia.org, Facebook.com, those found in the Deep web they are usually of the style fbcy5ylyoeqzqzcr.onion