PackageDescription | Tor is a connection-based low-latency anonymous communication system.
This package provides the "tor" program, which serves as both a client and
a relay node. Scripts will automatically create a "tor" user and
a "tor" group, and set tor up to run as a daemon when the system
is rebooted.
Applications connect to the local Tor proxy using the SOCKS
protocol. The tor client chooses a path through a set of relays, in
which each relay knows its predecessor and successor, but no
others. Traffic flowing down the circuit is unwrapped by a symmetric
key at each relay, which reveals the downstream relay.
Warnings: Tor does no protocol cleaning. That means there is a danger
that application protocols and associated programs can be induced to
reveal information about the initiator. Tor depends on Privoxy or
similar protocol cleaners to solve this problem. This is alpha code,
and is even more likely than released code to have anonymity-spoiling
bugs. The present network is small -- this further reduces the
strength of the anonymity provided. Tor is not presently suitable
for high-stakes anonymity. |