Silk Road forums
Discussion => Security => Topic started by: BUFFALOZERO on January 04, 2013, 12:50 pm
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I downloaded Tor and I'm running it off Firefox. Once Tor is open, I type in Google Encrypted and when the Google search page comes up, I type the SR address into that. This always brings me to the green, Onion to proxy site, and that then directs me as a proxy onto SR.
How do I get onto SR direct, without going through the Onion.to proxy site, please?
Thank you.
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Unless you know exactly what you're doing, I strongly recommend just using the Tor browser bundle. It's configured to help protect you, and if you don't know how to configure a browser for the same protection, you're likely exposing yourself in ways you aren't aware of.
Other than that, just bookmark this url and go directly to it: http://silkroadvb5piz3r.onion
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Thank you, SS.
So, I just miss out the step where I go through Google Encrypted?
Also, I tried doing as you suggest, but it always brings me to the green, Onion.to proxy site and from there, I have to click on the SR link they provide.
Even Onion.to recommend going direct to SR and NOT through them, but try as I might, I always get the green, Onion proxy!
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I don't know what "Google Encrypted" is, frankly. I get the strong impression that you aren't actually going through the Tor program. Tor is a proxy, but if your web browser isn't specifically configured to go through it, you will bypass it entirely and basically will access the internet as though you didn't even have Tor.
What you want to do is download the Tor browser bundle and use THAT browser to access SR. You can use that one or your normal Firefox for usual net surfing, that's up to you. But basically... don't download "Tor" the program. Download the "tor browser bundle" and install it, and use THAT one for SR and you're good to go.
To be clear, "onion.to" is an internet thing that allows people who ARE NOT USING TOR to access hidden Tor sites. You're right in that you do not want to use it, but BOTH "onion.to" and the Tor program that you downloaded are "proxies." That may make it a little more clear for you. Tor is a proxy that just runs on your computer. Onion.to is a website that lets you access hidden Tor sites even though you aren't using Tor (but the onion.to site most certainly would be if it lets you access hidden sites, it's just letting you use THEIR Tor program I suspect).
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Now I understand, SS. Thanks very much for taking the time to reply so comprehensively; very much appreciated.
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Happy to help; enjoy your time on Silk Road :)
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It works: straight in through Tor, no green, 'Onion.to' in sight!
Cheers, SS.
Now, if I could only figure out how to encrypt my address (which, despite having been reading about it all morning I can't), I'm good to go... :)
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Get a VPN anonymously at https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/ It costs $40 dollars worth of bitcoins.
That way you will be protected 2 steps. Run your VPN, and then the Tor bundle and you have Tor over VPN. If you are using Tor only, there is no guarantee that you definitely will not be tracked down.
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Nanpa2001- will this enable me to encrypt my address, too, or is it simply an additional browsing safeguard?
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BUFFALOZERO, I am not sure what you mean by address. Do you mean IP address?
Tor will obfuscate your IP address, but your IP address will be found out if Law Enforcement is running an 'evil exit node' or seizes Tor servers. That is why you want 2 steps of protection, using a VPN service that does not keep logs.
If Law Enforcement were to seize or control a Tor exit node and you had a VPN service, then they would only be able to follow the IP address to the VPN service that I told you about above, and that service doesn't keep logs so Law Enforcement would not be able to use the VPN service to find you.
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Get a VPN anonymously at https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/ It costs $40 dollars worth of bitcoins.
That way you will be protected 2 steps. Run your VPN, and then the Tor bundle and you have Tor over VPN. If you are using Tor only, there is no guarantee that you definitely will not be tracked down.
I'm sorry, but you're incorrect. It is entirely easy to see that you're using Tor. It is extremely, extremely difficult to isolate your activity to correlate it with you (as in an individual, not YOU you). The protection of Tor is from the layers of encryption and the fact that various types of people use it: people seeking a way to circumvent their evil oppressive government censorship, drug takers, drug dealers, FBI agents (yes, really), etc..
There's no need to use a VPN. It may actually do more harm than good in some cases. It is, however, slightly risky to use Tor for all your browsing. I do not, for example. If you want to know more, google about SSL stripping software and Tor exit nodes.
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Nanpa- no, I meant my postal address, ie. when I make a purchase.
I'm still struggling big-time with how to do this.
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Watch this tutorial. That will tell you how to do it. It is 10 minutes long and very easy to understand. Just follow the instructions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SywCI91kfq0
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SelfSovereignty, correct me if I am wrong, but if you were using a VPN, then your ISP would know that you are using a VPN, but would have no idea that you are using Tor over VPN.
The whole point of having Tor over VPN is to increase the number of steps between you and Law Enforcement.
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Really what you're doing is adding an extra place for data to accumulate. Using Tor is pretty harmless and innocent (more or less). It's free and only a download away and doesn't require any weird funky setup stuff. I'm sure some people even use it to watch their porn because they're that law abiding and go to church and don't want God to see them jerking it or something.
A VPN that you pay for? That's a little... different. Why were you willing to pay for a VPN? What are you trying to hide? Into child porn or something? And is it outside of US jurisdiction? Because if not, I sure as fuck wouldn't trust them not to keep logs. They have to pay taxes, I suspect. People tend to keep logs of things like purchases and business stuff.
I'm not accusing you of being a pedophile... I'm just saying one is a free service that's a simple download away. The other is an actual transaction you have to do more than make a passing "oh neat," judgment to be involved with. You have to actually seek out and choose a VPN. Personally I think neither will get you caught, but I don't trust a VPN to do anything more than keep logs. If I were a seller, I'd trust one even less. Just my opinion -- I've also read vague examples I never paid much attention to about how a VPN can actually make you less anonymous, but since I don't recall specifics I can't really give any.
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Thanks very much Nanpa.
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SelfSovereignty,
In my jurisdiction a VPN is WAY less suspicious than Tor, and is not associated with pedophilia - unlike Tor. People in my area use VPN to watch Hulu, for example, or buy things from US online shops that charge more if you use a foreign IP address.
The VPN service I proffered earlier can be purchased anonymously, with nothing tying you back to the purchase. You can use a throw away email address if you want, they don't ask for names, or anything. They could be compelled by law enforcement, but wouldn't have much to offer.
But an 'evil exit node' on Tor run by LE could unmask you in an instant. At least if you have a VPN they need to look elsewhere first.
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BUFFALOZERO, my pleasure. Good luck with your first purchase.
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SelfSovereignty,
In my jurisdiction a VPN is WAY less suspicious than Tor, and is not associated with pedophilia - unlike Tor. People in my area use VPN to watch Hulu, for example, or buy things from US online shops that charge more if you use a foreign IP address.
The VPN service I proffered earlier can be purchased anonymously, with nothing tying you back to the purchase. You can use a throw away email address if you want, they don't ask for names, or anything. They could be compelled by law enforcement, but wouldn't have much to offer.
But an 'evil exit node' on Tor run by LE could unmask you in an instant. At least if you have a VPN they need to look elsewhere first.
Just forget I mentioned the suspicious thing... I'm not even really sure why I said that, frankly. It was sketchy information that I shouldn't have thrown out so off-the-cuff. This is not sketchy though: an evil exit node run by police cannot unmask you. You connect to several Tor network nodes on the way to the exit node. Each node knows only the destination of the next in the chain. That's why it can't be traced back to your computer.
A VPN has no such limitation. It can see your real IP address. That's my real issue with it.
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Sure, the VPN can see your IP address. But that is why you are using Tor over VPN, right?
Me -> VPN -> Tor. Before they can get to your VPN, they need to compromise Tor first.
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... I'm sorry, but I'm not seeing what you're saying is more secure. Yes, to trace back to your VPN by your account, they'd have to go through Tor first. But I thought you said they could do that anyway...? They can't to my knowledge, by the way. But my confusion is this: if they can't, why use the VPN in the first place? And if they can, I don't see what makes you safe if you go through the VPN?
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How do I get onto SR direct, without going through the Onion.to proxy site, please?
Uh, just remove the .to
Turn this
http://silkroadvb5piz3r.onion.to/silkroad/home
into this
http://silkroadvb5piz3r.onion/silkroad/home
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It works: straight in through Tor, no green, 'Onion.to' in sight!
Cheers, SS.
Now, if I could only figure out how to encrypt my address (which, despite having been reading about it all morning I can't), I'm good to go... :)
Get GPG4USB at its home page, and unpack it into a directory/folder. http://gpg4usb.cpunk.de/index.html
Next, read Astor's excellent tutorial: http://32yehzkk7jflf6r2.onion/gpg4usb/
NC