Software

Using TOR: Is it Worth the Risk, or the Time?

TOR
Written by twitiq

Online security has become a hot topic in the recent due to immense number of cyber attacks and privacy intrusions being launched almost every day. VPN might be an expensive for most of the users therefore using TOR network has emerged as a simple, reliable and highly secure platform for most. Currently there are innumerable numbers of people who are eagerly looking at the opportunity of snooping upon the online activities of the users which includes not just the cyber criminals but even the popular tech companies.

Using TOR is good for safeguarding the privacy

As stated earlier there are a number of tools which are quite helpful in covering the digital tracks but nothing is completely secure like The Onion Router (TOR) underground network. The best way to make use of the TOR is to install a customized and locked down version of the popular Firefox browser.

Now using this underground network will ensures that the internet connection is wrapped under multiple layers. This makes the data to bounce through random servers placed all around the world. This gives a complete blanket of protection from the potential eavesdroppers.

How does TOR works?

As the name suggests TOR literally takes the onion metaphor and puts it to a good use. In this system a layer of encryption is stripped at each step on the way to accessing the target while using it. In this way a chain is formed around the server and no one is able to comprehend where a user is going and what he is doing at any given moment.

TOR came into being as a safe and secure network especially for the whistle blowers and the political activists for heightened online safety. But currently it is being utilized by a number of public users to access websites without being spied upon. It is not completely secure as the final server present in this chain can easily reveal the website or link visited by the user if it gets compromised.

TOR being used for rogue purpose

Within a short time of its existence TOR has emerged as a popular way of diving into the dark underbelly of the internet. It also serves as a home for innumerable number of illicit sites which remains hidden from the outside users.

Law enforcement authorities had quite a hard and tough time in dealing with it and there have been very few cases whether they had been successful in their attempt. They have been to exploit the vulnerabilities present in the TOR to take down the pedophile rings as well the popular blackmarket called The Silk Road.

Using it will ensure that your online activities remains safely hidden from the usual tracking activities and eavesdropper but it can’t hoodwink the intrusive tracking or high end web tracking. In case you are looking forward to a higher level of security then opt for the VPN as they happen to run faster and easy to manage than using TOR.

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twitiq