Published on: September 20, 2024
The Tor browser is typically considered the most anonymous online browser, but recent investigations revealed its weak points.
Tor is trying to reassure users that its platform is safe, but law enforcement claims to have an easy solution for finding criminals through Tor. In fact, multiple international agencies have caught threat actors through the Tor browser. Recently, Germany has disclosed its solution.
Tor keeps its users private by encrypting data and then sending it through at least three randomly selected global servers. This clever idea keeps people completely anonymous, in theory.
However, the German police cracked this clever theory. It developed a new method, timing analysis, to draw a direct line back to an individual user. It can trace the server hops back to its original entry point based on the time the individual data packets were processed.
Once police investigators find the original entry server, they can use the region’s district court to learn which customers are connected to them. This can even be done to Tor node operators.
Throughout 2024, Germany shut down multiple hacking websites, including online criminal marketplaces and most recently, 47 different crypto exchanges. This was one of the tactics they used.
Researchers with ARD political magazine Panorama and STRG_F (funk/NDR) confirmed that their solution works and completely destroys the anonymity of the Tor browser (which critics had already argued for many years wasn’t completely safe.
Germany claims that it’s infiltrated the network and is currently working on prosecuting criminals.
Tor denies these claims.
“Like many of you, we are still left with more questions than answers – but one thing is clear: Tor users can continue to use Tor Browser to access the web securely and anonymously. And the Tor Network is healthy,” the Tor team wrote in a blog post.
“For the great majority of users worldwide that need to protect their privacy while browsing the internet, Tor is still the best solution for them.”