Recently, due to the development of censorship on the Internet, Russian providers, at the direction of Roskomnadzor, are increasingly blocking access to certain Internet resources that contain materials that contradict Russian legislation. Moreover, often, instead of blocking a specific url of a page with illegal content, the resource is blocked completely (by domain name, IP address, etc.). This is explained by the lack technical feasibility, a la: “This requires expensive equipment, which we don’t have”... Well, no, no! So we will get out ourselves.
Disclaimer: I do not encourage anyone to use any information, the distribution of which in the territory Russian Federation forbidden! I am not responsible for anyone using materials from this article to access illegal content!
You can access a blocked site using so-called “anonymous networks”. In short, the essence of these networks comes down to the fact that users access Internet resources not directly, but through a chain of proxy servers. In this case, the data is transmitted in encrypted form, and the real IP address of the user is also hidden, since the request comes to the target address from a proxy server, which may be located on the other side of the world... Thus, the anonymity of the user on the network is ensured. One of the most popular anonymous networks is the Tor network.
There are a lot of options for setting up a connection to the Tor network. Here you can choose according to your taste. The easiest option is to download Tor Browser and use it out of the box. But because I usually use a browser Google Chrome and I don’t want to launch Tor Browser separately every time I need to go to a blocked site, then I prefer to use the Vidalia Bundle + plugin for Google Chrome (Essentially, Tor Browser is the same Vidalia + a stripped-down version of Firefox, configured to work with it in ligament).
The Vidalia bundle contains Tor, the Polipo proxy server, the Vidalia graphical interface and the TorButton plugin for Firefox (for Chrome, therefore, you don’t need to install it, we have Proxy SwitchyOmega instead). Currently, development of the Vidalia bundle has been discontinued and the developers recommend using the Tor browser. But the Package can be freely downloaded on the Internet, or simply use Vidalia from the Tor Browser package.
Setting up a connection to the Tor network
The whole setup comes down to installing Vidalia. Everything you need to connect to the Tor network comes with it. In most cases, almost all settings can be left untouched. On the "Settings->Expert" tab, the Address and port should be 127.0.0.1:9051.
Vidalia Settings
To prevent the program window from popping up every time you start it, you can uncheck the “Show this window at startup” checkbox in the program window.
Vidalia main window
Setting up Google Chrome
Let's install the Proxy SwitchyOmega plugin from the Chrome online store and go to its settings.
Here you must first set the proxy parameters on the "profiles->proxy" tab: protocol - SOCKS5; server - 127.0.0.1; port - 9050.
Proxy settings
Then, on the “profiles->auto switch” tab, set the Default parameter to “Direct”, and above, in the “Switch rules” lines, we specify all the hosts that we want to access anonymously via Tor. The address specified in the form *.example.com will correspond to the domain example.com and all its subdomains. We indicate the profile - "proxy".
setting up switching rules
On the "settings->interface" tab, specify Startup Profile - "auto switch" (or you can leave "Current profile".
Selecting a default profile
Don't forget to save the changes (the "apply changes" button).
Thus, by default the "Direct" profile will be used - that is, a direct connection, and when visiting sites specified in the "Switch rules" - the "proxy" profile. In addition, if necessary, we can manually select the profile to use in the top bar of the browser at any time.
If every time you launch Vidalia you get a message that the version of Tor you are using is out of date, then from the Tor Project downloads page you can download an "Expert Bundle" containing only current version Tor, and unpack the contents of the Data and Tor folders into the appropriate directories, replacing the files. For example, for Windows 10 these will be the directories: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Tor And C:\Program Files\Vidalia Bundle\Tor respectively.
A lot of time has passed. And the situation in RuNet with government regulation has only worsened. Many sites are blocked en masse for a variety of reasons and even simply “by mistake” (because they were on the same IP with “suspicious sites”). Therefore, various types have become more in demand than ever. Interest in . After our last article, readers began to receive questions about help setting up Tor.
Questions of this nature:
1) How to work through Tor using any Internet browsers (not just a special Tor browser)?
2) How to torify any applications (for example, Skype, ICQ, etc.)
3) What should I do if my Internet Service Provider (ISP) blocks access to Tor?
We will try to answer all these questions using clear examples. To torify all (or almost all of our Internet traffic) a standard package is not suitable for us Tor Brouser Bundle which is unpacked onto your desktop or flash drive and includes already configured Tor and a special browser.
We need to install the "stationary version" on the operating system, this is the package Vidalia-bundle(it includes: Vidalia, Tor).
We install it on the system (see our article), then upon first launch we will immediately set the settings for work:
Fig.1. Tor Settings - "Exchange2
Fig.2. Tor Settings - "Network"
1) Now we begin to configure our working browsers for anonymous work viaTor.
Setting it upInternetExplorer:
In Windows 7, to do this, go to the options “Control Panel - Network and Internet - Internet Options - Connections - Network settings - Settings settings local network", put a tick in the box "Proxy server" open a tab "Additionally", we'll put it there clause 4. Socks: 127.0.0.1:9050
See screenshots (3,4,5).
Rice. 4. Proxy server
Fig.5. Socks5
That's it, our IE works through Tor.
Setting it upGoogle Chrome:
Google Chrome should be the "default browser" on your operating system. Then see fig. 6:
Rice. 6. Proxy server settings
After you click on the button “Change procti server settings” You will see the already familiar Internet browser settings tabs. See screenshots (3,4,5). If you completed the previous step correctly ( Setting it up Internet Explorer ), then Google Chrome also works for you through the Tor network.
Setting up the browserOpera:
To do this, go to the point “Settings – Advanced – Network – Proxy servers.”
Check the box Socks: (and enter the following data there) 127.0.0.1:9050
See screenshots 7 and 8.
Setting up the Mozilla Firefox browser:
For this we need Foxy Proxy Basic plugin, which we will install in the section "Extensions", see fig. 9:
Then, when the plugin is installed, select the mode "Tor proxy for all addresses"(see Fig. 10)
Rice. 10. Select Tor for all addresses
and set up the settings as in Fig. eleven
That’s it, now there will be no more “forbidden sites” for you...
You can check your “new” IP address through the website http://2ip.ru
When you work through the Tor network, your address will be different from the one you received from your ISP.
2) Let's torifySkype,ICQ,µTorrent:
To toriff Skype, go to “Settings – Connections”, select the SOCKS5 tab, enter 127.0.0.1:9050
See fig. 12:
The same settings must be made for ICQ.
For torrent client µTorrent:
Let's go to "Settings - Connections" and set the settings as in screenshot 13:
That's it, you can safely work with torrents.
3) Well, the most difficult question. What to do if your Internet provider (ISP) blocks access toTor?
But for this case we downloaded the distribution kit Vidalia Bridge Bundle (for Windows 8, 7, Vista, and XP), This is a package for accessing the Tor network through a so-called "bridge".
See screenshot 14:
Let's briefly explain how it all works.
What does the term “bridge type repeaters” mean?
Some internet service providers attempt to prevent users from accessing the Tor network by blocking connections to known Tor relays. Bridge relays (or bridges for short) help such blocked users gain access to the Tor network. Unlike other Tor relays, bridges are not listed in public directories as regular relays. Since there is no complete public list, even if your ISP filters connections to all known Tor relays, it is unlikely that it will be able to block all bridges.
How to find bridge type repeaters?
There are two main ways to find out the address of bridges:
A) Ask friends to organize private bridges for you;
B) Use public bridges.
To use private bridges, ask friends to launch Vidalia and Tor from an unblocked area of the Internet and click "Help Blocked Users" in the Vidalia "Relay Setup Page". They should then send you the “Bridge Address” (the line at the bottom of their relay page).
Unlike the operation of a regular relay, a relay in bridge mode simply transmits and receives data from the Tor network, so you should not complain about any violations to the operator.
You can find public addresses for bridges by visiting https://bridges.torproject.org. The answers on this page change every few days, so check back periodically if you need more bridge addresses. Another way to find public bridge addresses is to send an email to [email protected]
One of the best packages for increasing the anonymity of surfing is the application. This is free software with open source source code. It is no coincidence that such avid libertarians as the Electronic Frontier Foundation sympathize with him. To use Tor effectively, you need to have a clear understanding of its capabilities, advantages and disadvantages, since it is not Magic wand and not an invisible cap, but a real tool with its own niche and scope of application.
How Tor works
The Tor Project is a fairly large initiative, and the package you can install on your computer is only a small part of the system. Actually, the name “Tor” is an abbreviation for “”. Thus, the Tor package is a means of connecting to a secure network. prying eyes data networks. This “onion” network consists of a significant number of , which serve to hide user information. Information transmitted on this network is encrypted and passes through several servers, which significantly complicates traffic analysis and, accordingly, increases user security. In addition, Tor may become effective means to organize access to blocked by a local firewall or closed Internet resources.
After connecting to the Onion network, a chain of servers is created through which information will be transmitted during the session, while no individual server has information about the chain as a whole. All data transmitted within the network is encrypted, and individual nodes use their own keys. Periodically, the system changes data transmission chains. Thus, Tor is a means of ensuring the security of information transmission channels, a kind of “black box” that makes it as difficult as possible to determine data transmission paths. Accordingly, you can determine the main weaknesses of the application, which you should know about in advance.
Let's start with the fact that Tor in no way replaces antiviruses and other tools network security. It simply ensures secure data transfer, and if you inadvertently download some Trojan, it will be properly delivered to your computer. Tor has no way of controlling the information you share with external sites. So, if, for example, you leave confidential personal data yourself, no encryption or proxy chains will help here.
If you are logged into a site that collects statistics on user behavior, all your actions in your account may be recorded by the owners of such a resource. What Tor can really do is hide the account's connection to a specific IP, and this can be very important for the user's privacy. After all, this is one of the original purposes of the application. At the same time, it should be remembered that such protection becomes ephemeral if you sometimes decide to access such a site without using Tor, thereby exposing your .
Another known loophole is between the user and the first server in the Tor chain, and between the Tor network and the recipient of the packets. The application developers strongly recommend using secure software whenever possible. HTTPS protocol and encourage users to install the HTTPS Everywhere add-on in their browser. It is designed to automatically switch to a secure version of the web page you are viewing, if, of course, the target website provides such a connection option.
One important caveat must be made here: due to certain features of the APIs of the most popular modern browsers The full functionality of HTTPS Everywhere can only work in the Firefox browser. Versions for other browsers still allow short-term access to an unprotected page before automatic download its HTTPS version. Finally, let’s not forget about the banal recording of keystrokes, so if your paranoia worm is sufficiently fed, do not forget about the existence of virtual keyboards, and also use an up-to-date antivirus.
Vidalia package
Several package options are offered: from “pure” console Tor, which you will have to configure yourself, to kits of varying degrees of automation that simplify its operation. Perhaps the most universal solution is the Vidalia assembly, available on the same official website. It includes several components. First, there is the Tor application itself, which allows you to connect to the Onion network and transfer data.
Secondly, this is the Vidalia control panel, which allows you to communicate with Tor in a way that most users are familiar with graphical interface. The next member of the team is the software HTTP proxy Polipo (www.pps.jussieu.fr/~jch/software/polipo). Without going into technical details, we note that its purpose is mainly to increase the performance of the package. The fact is that Tor uses SOCKS, and the use of an HTTP proxy allows you to use a number of technologies (for example, caching) that speed up work with the browser. In addition, by specifying the Polipo address as a proxy in the settings of the application you need, you can force this application to use Tor to send data. Other proxies are also suitable for interacting with Tor, for example Privoxy.
The last component of the package is Torbutton. This is an add-on for Firefox browser, allowing you to easily switch to protected browsing mode using Tor. Unfortunately, other viewers are not yet supported. Moreover, even in Firefox you will have to tinker a little with this component. The reason is that the current version of Torbutton does not support Firefox 4. Therefore, owners of modern versions of this browser will have to manually install the alpha version of Torbutton. This is a regular add-on in XPI format, the link to which can be found in the downloads section of the official Tor Project website.
After installing Torbutton, a Tor launch button will appear in the status bar (Firefox 3) or address bar (Firefox 4). This tool is very convenient because it allows you to select the browser operating mode directly while surfing without changing its basic settings with just one click. Interestingly, Torbutton also offers to further increase privacy by loading English versions of pages by default, regardless of the language settings of the Internet viewer. Installing Vidalia is simple, conducted in Russian and will not be difficult even for an inexperienced user. If you have a firewall enabled on your computer, be sure to allow Vidalia and Tor access to the Internet.
Tor is a means of connecting to a secure data network. It consists of a significant number of proxy servers, which serve to hide user information.
The main element of the Vidalia control panel interface is, of course, the Tor and Polipo launch button. A button with a not-so-sounding name for our ears, “Change identity,” allows you to manually start the process of rebuilding the involved proxy chain. As a result, you will receive a new IP. By the way, sometimes such a restructuring allows you to slightly increase the speed of working with Tor, if initially there were slow servers in your chain. The “Network Browse” button will open a map with a list of servers included in the current chain. There you can also view brief information about them and, if necessary, close the connection. “Setting up a server” will allow you to enable a mode in which your Tor will accept connections from other users. This will turn your computer into one of the Onion network nodes. This opportunity must be used carefully, after first studying the relevant documentation and clearly understanding the situation.
The Settings section contains several tabs with options for Tor and Vidalia. In the General tab there are settings for Tor and Polipo to autostart at startup operating system. You will need the “Network” tab if attempts are being made to block Tor on your local network or your provider’s network. Here you can specify the proxy server used to access the Internet and list the ports allowed for the connection.
Vidalia interface has been translated to a large number of languages. You can choose the most convenient one, as well as change the style of the external design of the program, on the “ tab Appearance».
The “Bridge Settings” block deserves attention. One way to combat Tor is to block access to known network nodes. Bridges are servers whose full lists are not published. Therefore, the likelihood that all of them will be blocked is small. Direct connections to bridges known to you, for example those launched by your friends, are supported. Public, updated lists are posted at bridges.torproject.org.
Another option to get the list is to send an email to: with the phrase get bridges. However, only requests sent from using Gmail, – this protects the system from attempts to automatically collect bridge addresses. Since their functionality is not guaranteed, it is recommended to specify several such addresses at once in the Tor settings. By the way, enabling bridge mode is effective even if you do not specify a single address: Tor will begin to encrypt its access to host directories, which can seriously hamper the functioning of blocking programs. If you wish, you can configure your own computer to run in Tor bridge– to do this, you just need to check the appropriate item on the “Exchange” tab.
The “Services” tab is intended for fine tuning so-called Tor hidden services. With their help, you can launch your own web service on your machine without revealing its IP to visitors. Moreover, a hidden service, thanks to the use of onion technologies and the capabilities of Tor, can be accessible even when your Personal Computer is behind the firewall.
Let's start by installing a web server or other program that you want to make available to remote users. The peculiarity of installing any such service in our case is that it should not have a public address: it must be configured to accept connections only from your own computer (localhost). In addition, do not forget that running servers are capable of giving users a lot of interesting information in their service messages, so pay attention to these nuances when configuring your programs, since inattentive configuration can negate all your efforts to reach the server using Tor.
Then we go to the “Services” tab of the Vidalia toolbar, create a new “hidden service” and enter the necessary data into its characteristics table. Tor will generate the “secret” address on its own. The columns “Virtual port” and “Path to directory” are required. In the first case, you will need to specify the port number that your server program is configured to listen to, and in the second, the path to the folder in which Tor will place the file containing the address of your service on the Onion network. Please note: this must be a separate directory for storing Tor information, not your program's user files directory. In other words, if you are running a web server, then the path to the “home” directory of its files does not need to be specified here. To avoid confusion, it would be best to immediately create such a directory in the Tor folder itself.
Let's go back to "normal" use. In order to configure any application to transfer data via Tor, you need to specify the Polipo HTTP proxy address in the settings of your program. Its IP is local, 127.0.0.1, and the default port is 9050. If the application requires you to indicate the type of proxy used, specify SOCKS 5. By saving such settings as a proxy address, for example, in an IM client, you will receive a secure private connection. Tor and Polipo, of course, must be running, otherwise your program simply will not be able to access the Internet. A small note: when connecting to ICQ servers and some other popular services, a message may appear indicating that the number of connections from the user's current IP has been exceeded. This obstacle, as a rule, can be easily overcome by rebooting the chain of proxy servers using the “Change identity” button. Concluding the story about Vidalia, let us remind you that all components of this package are open source projects. You can, of course, download the sources in the corresponding section of the Tor Project website.
Ready-made assemblies
As mentioned above, one of the main threats to privacy when using Tor are errors in its configuration, as well as running programs in unprotected mode. Very convenient solution this problem is the Tor Browser package. This is a ready-made and, very usefully, portable application that provides secure surfing. It includes all the components we described above plus the portable version of Firefox 3.6. Since the system is initially, by default, configured to work with Tor, the user can be sure that nothing is forgotten and the level of security is approaching the maximum achievable.
I'll start with a note.
Ladies and gentlemen!
I understand perfectly well that you constantly and chronically do not have time. And you definitely won’t be able to spend 5 minutes. Although it’s enough to write something like “Thank you! This will come in handy! I’ll take it for myself! I’ll figure it out!” you have time (usually you do). But please understand me: I also don’t have time to check all my messages for relevance. But if you had spent 5 minutes of your time IMMEDIATELY, you would not have wasted your time writing this message. Thank you for your attention!
I recently wrote a message "". But (as it turned out) it is not entirely correct. Because changes have been made to the new version of TOR. Therefore, if you are, then you should have the same proxy settings, and if you are, then slightly different.
Unfortunately, I only found out about this the other day when I updated the TOR software on my work computer. Because of this, there may be problems when setting up programs to work through the TOR network. If you have such problems or are just curious, then read below.
What does this look like for the entire system (settings Internet browser Explorer): 
What it looks like for the Opera browser: 
What does it look like for Mozilla browser Firefox: 
What does it look like for: 
Part No. 3. Custom settings for TOR
The most attentive (of those who have read up to this point) might have noticed that the settings in parts No. 1 and No. 2 differ only in one digit of the port number "9 1
50" and "9 0
50".
Is it possible to set your own port in the settings? TOR Browser or Vidalia? Of course you can. And there are 2 ways to do this.
Method number 1.
Go to the settings of TOR Browser or Vidalia. To do this, hover your mouse over the TOR “onion” in the system tray and click right button mice. From the drop-down menu, select "Settings": 
In the settings that open, select the “Advanced” tab and click on the “Edit current torrc” button: 
But now you need to be especially careful and do as I wrote below: 
1. Write the line ""SocksPort port number" (for example: "SocksPort 8008").
2. Select this line with the mouse.
3. Check the "Apply selected" checkbox.
4. Click on the "OK" button.
Why is that? I don’t know, but otherwise my program didn’t want to save the changes.
Method number 2.
Just look where the settings file is located, open it with any text editor and enter a line below that looks like: “SocksPort port number”. For example: "SocksPort 8008". It's better to do this when your TOR is not running.
How can I find this settings file? Its address is written in the “Advanced” section of the settings (see method No. 1 above).
For example, for TOR Browser I have: 
And for Vidalia like this: 
Moreover, you can enter your own path to the file and use the same settings for both programs (if you suddenly use both of them on the same computer). But do not forget to change the port number to the one you specified where necessary (see part No. 1 or No. 2).
Part No. 4. How and where to view proxy settings for TOR Browser
Many, having read everything above, will ask the question: “How can I see what proxy settings my TOR Browser uses?”
Very simple!
Go to the settings of the Firefox that comes with TOR Browser: 
There we go to the “Advanced” tab and find the “Network” subtab: 
And there you can see what proxy settings your TOR Browser has:
How and what Now what to do if you need to use an http(s) proxy to work through TOR, maybe I’ll write about it soon.
P.S. I guarantee the relevance of this message for 2 weeks. If something doesn’t work for you starting from August 15, 2013, you can ask yourself the question: “Why didn’t I set all this up earlier?” Although I can write the answer right away: “Because I didn’t have time! But now I have time to figure everything out on my own.” Good luck!