Want to Communicate Anonymously? Then go for Tor, a Free, Open Source Software

“Solitude sometimes is the best society” well, it is certainly true, but not everyone will be privileged enough to have one. It is a digital era, where the word privacy does not carry any value. Eavesdropping is one such common activity that can be encountered during an online communication. The impact of such an action can range from a minor catastrophe to considerable damage.

What is Tor?

Originally named as The Onion Router, Tor is an open-source software which can be used for establishing an anonymous communication path for its users. It is a simple process where the internet is accessed through Tor network; also multiple relays are used in between to have an undefined path. But, what is the benefit of having an undefined path? Well, people who want to be well away from network surveillance and traffic analysis will definitely wish for such a medium.

It’s easier to mask the location, yes, it is true, and the users operating through Tor network cannot be traced due to its complicated network procedure. Digital stalking, cyber-spying, well the list will grow till eternity, and no one can avoid having such an experience unless they bank on the Tor network.

The Process

So how does a Tor network operate? Is it truly reliable? Well, people do think about the integrity of their information, and it is not easy for them to trust some random software. But, in the case of tor, there is no room for uncertainty.

Technique– Tor network adopts onion routing technique, where, similar to onion the data will be encrypted in multiple layers. Following this, the encrypted data will be transmitted through an onion router which consists of series of network nodes. The best part is, each node will have a track of only the preceding one, thus when data reaches its destination the path will be in an undefined state.

Defining the Node– The path to these nodes is obtained through a directory node, where each node will be aligned in a path called circuit/chain. The logic behind this approach is to make sure that even the nodes would be oblivious with the data originator. That is for example between node A and node C, the latter one will not get to know about the intermediate nodes.

Vulnerability– Yes, you can expect even that because exit node gives away the game as it has to decrypt the data anyhow. Even Tor has some limitations in providing the degree of anonymity, which comes through the end node. Every network no matter how promising they are, tend to become vulnerable if end-to-end encryption is not employed. SSL or HTTPS is the best way to avoid such vulnerabilities.

The Upshot

For those who seek enormous privacy can be well serviced through Tor which, never fails to outperform. The underlying factor is that Tor can also be a means for conducting illegitimate business which can cause a beating to its image. True, that Tor has both advantages and disadvantages hence it is more favored than ever.