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Discussion => Security => Topic started by: Railgun on June 04, 2013, 08:54 pm

Title: Bitcoin-qt and TOR
Post by: Railgun on June 04, 2013, 08:54 pm
How do I safely use my bitcoin-qt via TOR on linux?

Also, is there a file somewhere that it stores keys and/or history of your transactions on the filesystem? I'd like to add a line in a script to erase such in the event I ever need to.

Thx
Railgun
Title: Re: Bitcoin-qt and TOR
Post by: tramonym on June 04, 2013, 08:59 pm
Afaik you have to set up localhost tor, privoxy as a SOCKS proxy forwarding to tor and finally configure bitcoin-qt to use localhost privoxy as SOCKS proxy.

edit: do not know about local keys but all transactions are publicy available in bitcoin toolchain.
Title: Re: Bitcoin-qt and TOR
Post by: Railgun on June 04, 2013, 09:10 pm
Hmm well shit; sounds like you might as well just send to multiple addresses and use the fog as an intermediate.
Title: Re: Bitcoin-qt and TOR
Post by: offbeatadam on June 04, 2013, 09:14 pm
Hmm well shit; sounds like you might as well just send to multiple addresses and use the fog as an intermediate.

Rail, I replied in the other post you mentioned on mtgox, but here you go again:

Clearnet Warning: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Tor


This is both the location of the main bitcoin wiki, and their entry on Tor usage. It is extremely useful in informing on how to use it on more than just bitcoin applications, so that you can connect using the tor service to IRC and other such things.

The wiki is a very good source of information, and it is a great place to start learning about how bitcoin works, including the more recent concerns about how a transaction can be identified and traced under certain circumstances.
Title: Re: Bitcoin-qt and TOR
Post by: Railgun on June 05, 2013, 02:22 am
So I got my wallet, and it's encrypted, yet I can't seem to get it to cooperate with Tor. 

If I telnet into 127.0.0.1 on port 9151, I get a connection with no problem (tor is running on this port), yet when I try to direct the bitcoin-qt to this wallet using SOCKS 4 or 5, I get nothing.

I am behind a proxy, but even when disabling my proxy, it does not connect. Help?
Title: Re: Bitcoin-qt and TOR
Post by: astor on June 05, 2013, 02:37 am
How do I safely use my bitcoin-qt via TOR on linux?

Go to Settings -> Options -> Network.

Connect through Proxy.

IP: 127.0.0.1
Port: 9150
SOCKS Version: 5


Note: the port is 9150, not 9151, the latter is the ControlPort, which is something different from the SocksPort. Common mistake.

Also, is there a file somewhere that it stores keys and/or history of your transactions on the filesystem? I'd like to add a line in a script to erase such in the event I ever need to.

The keys are stored in ~/.bitcoin/wallet.dat

The transaction history is stored in the block chain and can't be erased. That's sort of the point of the block chain.

Title: Re: Bitcoin-qt and TOR
Post by: Railgun on June 05, 2013, 02:44 am
Worked tyvm +1
Title: Re: Bitcoin-qt and TOR
Post by: offbeatadam on June 05, 2013, 02:45 am
So I got my wallet, and it's encrypted, yet I can't seem to get it to cooperate with Tor. 

If I telnet into 127.0.0.1 on port 9151, I get a connection with no problem (tor is running on this port), yet when I try to direct the bitcoin-qt to this wallet using SOCKS 4 or 5, I get nothing.

I am behind a proxy, but even when disabling my proxy, it does not connect. Help?

Generally speaking if you can connect to the local proxy port but the application can't connect to the outside, you likely have a firewall issue. What OS are you using?
Title: Re: Bitcoin-qt and TOR
Post by: Railgun on June 05, 2013, 02:52 am
So I got my wallet, and it's encrypted, yet I can't seem to get it to cooperate with Tor. 

If I telnet into 127.0.0.1 on port 9151, I get a connection with no problem (tor is running on this port), yet when I try to direct the bitcoin-qt to this wallet using SOCKS 4 or 5, I get nothing.

I am behind a proxy, but even when disabling my proxy, it does not connect. Help?

Generally speaking if you can connect to the local proxy port but the application can't connect to the outside, you likely have a firewall issue. What OS are you using?

Ubuntu; I was using the wrong port. Got it to work. ty.
Title: Re: Bitcoin-qt and TOR
Post by: offbeatadam on June 05, 2013, 03:05 am
So I got my wallet, and it's encrypted, yet I can't seem to get it to cooperate with Tor. 

If I telnet into 127.0.0.1 on port 9151, I get a connection with no problem (tor is running on this port), yet when I try to direct the bitcoin-qt to this wallet using SOCKS 4 or 5, I get nothing.

I am behind a proxy, but even when disabling my proxy, it does not connect. Help?

Generally speaking if you can connect to the local proxy port but the application can't connect to the outside, you likely have a firewall issue. What OS are you using?

Ubuntu; I was using the wrong port. Got it to work. ty.

:) Glad to hear it.

If you haven't read the documents that emphasize it on the tor project, note that the network is improved the more people that are on it, which more join every day, however the relays that assist in the anonymizing are publically available, and a (reasonably) skilled person can connect the dots. Proof is only a matter of a large enough dataset. So, don't give them the chance, change your identity frequently :)

If you run into any other issues or need help, feel free to PM me.