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Iran blocks Tor; Tor releases same-day fix

177 points by bdr 15y ago

spoiledtechie 15y ago
Can someone please explain Tor? Ive never heard of it and their blog doesn't say much about what it physically does? Is it access to the internet or just an internal Iran Internet for the underground?
- crazysim 15y ago
  On the linked page, look to the right column and find the "Tor in a minute" section.
- noonespecial 15y ago
  Tor is an anonymizer. It exists to prevent authorities, isps, or other snoops from being able to see what web-sites you visit. Its VPN-like qualities also make it good for circumventing blocklists that work via banned destination site lists. It does this by routing all(1) of your traffic through a series of constantly shifting peers that don't keep records or logs and don't use standard http ports. Instead of YOU->ISP->Yahoo your traffic looks like YOU(encryption)->BOB->ALICE->STEVE(decryption)->Yahoo. Your ISP (and therefore your rotten government) only sees you make an encrypted connection to Bob, not a web request to yahoo. The chain is long enough that its really tough for anyone in the chain to figure out who you are and what your final destination is. (1) Tor can be tricky to set up and know its working properly for the uninitiated. It can... leak if set up wrong, and certain protocols (like all UDP) are not well supported.
  - dschobel 15y ago
    Is there any precedent for legal prosecution against STEVE in case the originator is browsing something more nefarious than Yahoo? I know the "unsecured wireless AP" defense has been used with varying success but I'm wondering if any Tor peers have ever been prosecuted...
    - andrewflnr 15y ago
      The Tor Project website has a pretty good legal FAQ. https://www.torproject.org/eff/tor-legal-faq.html.en https://www.torproject.org/eff/tor-legal-faq.html.en They say they're not aware of anyone being prosecuted for running a TOR relay, but can't make any guarantees about the future.
    - pyre 15y ago
      Blog post that quotes most of the original article (since the blog itself is no longer online): http://p10.hostingprod.com/@spyblog.org.uk/blog/2009/03/passion-and-dalliance-blog-why-you-need-balls-of-steel-to-operate-a-tor-exit-nod.html http://p10.hostingprod.com/@spyblog.org.uk/blog/2009/03/pass... HN Discussion here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=526140 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=526140
  - redthrowaway 15y ago
    >It exists to prevent authorities, isps, or other snoops from being able to see what web-sites you visit. Its VPN-like qualities also make it good for circumventing blocklists that work via banned destination site lists. Well, yes and no. It was developed by US Naval Intelligence to provide a way for agents to get information to their handlers without compromising themselves. Yes, it performs the roles you specify, but that's not why it exists.
- bdr 15y ago
  Tor is an encrypted network that runs on top of the Internet. One feature of Tor is that you can use another Tor user as a web proxy. This allows people whose Internet connection is censored, but who can connect to the Tor network, to get uncensored web access. When you send a packet through Tor, the intermediate nodes don't know who sent it or who it's going to, which in many cases makes it more secure than your plain Internet connection.
- xtacy 15y ago
  Tor is a practical implementation of Onion Routing[1] and its original purpose was for secure and anonymous communication. It does this by relaying data over multiple nodes called "Onion Routers." These routers are themselves Tor software run by volunteers around the world. Tor has been increasingly used to circumvent censorship and there's active research in this area. Roger Dingledine was one of the original authors and he is an excellent speaker. Here's a video that you might like: http://vimeo.com/8023776 http://vimeo.com/8023776. EDIT: [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion_routing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion_routing
- arn 15y ago
  A tidbit I found interesting: WikiLeaks Was Launched With Documents Intercepted From Tor http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/06/wikileaks-documents/ http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/06/wikileaks-documents...
  - jcoder 15y ago
    This is an important point for the uninitiated: Tor is anonymous, but not secure. Only send data if (1) you do not care if it is intercepted, as long as (2) it can't be traced back to you.
    - sepent 15y ago
      Isn't it secure if you use SSL (over tor)? http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/06/wikileaks-documents/ http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/06/wikileaks-documents... says "The siphoned documents, supposedly stolen by Chinese hackers or spies who were using the Tor network to transmit the data,..." What kind of sick spy uses TOR to send important documents in palin text?
baltcode 15y ago
I thought one of the more dangerous threats in Tor was the possibility of someone running compromised exit (or entry) nodes? Why didn't they do that instead of blocking it?
- burgerbrain 15y ago
  When you're using Tor, you should be assuming the nodes involved are evil. Chances are most governments already do run their own nodes.
  - redthrowaway 15y ago
    Considering the US Navy developed it, and the US Intelligence agencies continue to use it regularly, that's a safe bet.
- koenigdavidmj 15y ago
  Then you only have a 1/N chance of capturing affected traffic, where N is the (fairly large) number of entry or exit nodes. Also, Tor changes which entry and exit nodes you use on occasion (about every few minutes, if I recall).
  - ch0wn 15y ago
    Also, if you communicate through properly encrypted protocols, the exit node won't get anything interesting to see.
    - mike-cardwell 15y ago
      Which is easier said than done. For web traffic, the site has to use https for everything. Secondly, the site has to secure their cookies from being sent over http, either by using HSTS with the includeSubDomains flag, or the "secure" cookie flag. Thirdly, you have to assume that the exit node isn't using a forged certificate from a compromised CA. Fourthly, you have to assume that the entity running the exit node doesn't have a zero day vulnerability for your browser, which they can deliver to you as soon as you make any http request to any site.
lootabooga 15y ago
Well, the main hurdle isn't technology, it's always politics. Tor might have fixed the block, but an Iranian using the system could still be imprisoned by the government for using it...

177 points by bdr 15y ago

Can someone please explain Tor? Ive never heard of it and their blog doesn't say much about what it physically does? Is it access to the internet or just an internal Iran Internet for the underground?

crazysim 15y ago
On the linked page, look to the right column and find the "Tor in a minute" section.
noonespecial 15y ago
Tor is an anonymizer. It exists to prevent authorities, isps, or other snoops from being able to see what web-sites you visit. Its VPN-like qualities also make it good for circumventing blocklists that work via banned destination site lists. It does this by routing all(1) of your traffic through a series of constantly shifting peers that don't keep records or logs and don't use standard http ports. Instead of YOU->ISP->Yahoo your traffic looks like YOU(encryption)->BOB->ALICE->STEVE(decryption)->Yahoo. Your ISP (and therefore your rotten government) only sees you make an encrypted connection to Bob, not a web request to yahoo. The chain is long enough that its really tough for anyone in the chain to figure out who you are and what your final destination is. (1) Tor can be tricky to set up and know its working properly for the uninitiated. It can... leak if set up wrong, and certain protocols (like all UDP) are not well supported.
- dschobel 15y ago
  Is there any precedent for legal prosecution against STEVE in case the originator is browsing something more nefarious than Yahoo? I know the "unsecured wireless AP" defense has been used with varying success but I'm wondering if any Tor peers have ever been prosecuted...
  - andrewflnr 15y ago
    The Tor Project website has a pretty good legal FAQ. https://www.torproject.org/eff/tor-legal-faq.html.en https://www.torproject.org/eff/tor-legal-faq.html.en They say they're not aware of anyone being prosecuted for running a TOR relay, but can't make any guarantees about the future.
  - pyre 15y ago
    Blog post that quotes most of the original article (since the blog itself is no longer online): http://p10.hostingprod.com/@spyblog.org.uk/blog/2009/03/passion-and-dalliance-blog-why-you-need-balls-of-steel-to-operate-a-tor-exit-nod.html http://p10.hostingprod.com/@spyblog.org.uk/blog/2009/03/pass... HN Discussion here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=526140 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=526140
- redthrowaway 15y ago
  >It exists to prevent authorities, isps, or other snoops from being able to see what web-sites you visit. Its VPN-like qualities also make it good for circumventing blocklists that work via banned destination site lists. Well, yes and no. It was developed by US Naval Intelligence to provide a way for agents to get information to their handlers without compromising themselves. Yes, it performs the roles you specify, but that's not why it exists.
bdr 15y ago
Tor is an encrypted network that runs on top of the Internet. One feature of Tor is that you can use another Tor user as a web proxy. This allows people whose Internet connection is censored, but who can connect to the Tor network, to get uncensored web access. When you send a packet through Tor, the intermediate nodes don't know who sent it or who it's going to, which in many cases makes it more secure than your plain Internet connection.
xtacy 15y ago
Tor is a practical implementation of Onion Routing[1] and its original purpose was for secure and anonymous communication. It does this by relaying data over multiple nodes called "Onion Routers." These routers are themselves Tor software run by volunteers around the world. Tor has been increasingly used to circumvent censorship and there's active research in this area. Roger Dingledine was one of the original authors and he is an excellent speaker. Here's a video that you might like: http://vimeo.com/8023776 http://vimeo.com/8023776. EDIT: [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion_routing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion_routing
arn 15y ago
A tidbit I found interesting: WikiLeaks Was Launched With Documents Intercepted From Tor http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/06/wikileaks-documents/ http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/06/wikileaks-documents...
- jcoder 15y ago
  This is an important point for the uninitiated: Tor is anonymous, but not secure. Only send data if (1) you do not care if it is intercepted, as long as (2) it can't be traced back to you.
  - sepent 15y ago
    Isn't it secure if you use SSL (over tor)? http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/06/wikileaks-documents/ http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/06/wikileaks-documents... says "The siphoned documents, supposedly stolen by Chinese hackers or spies who were using the Tor network to transmit the data,..." What kind of sick spy uses TOR to send important documents in palin text?

baltcode 15y ago

I thought one of the more dangerous threats in Tor was the possibility of someone running compromised exit (or entry) nodes? Why didn't they do that instead of blocking it?

burgerbrain 15y ago
When you're using Tor, you should be assuming the nodes involved are evil. Chances are most governments already do run their own nodes.
- redthrowaway 15y ago
  Considering the US Navy developed it, and the US Intelligence agencies continue to use it regularly, that's a safe bet.
koenigdavidmj 15y ago
Then you only have a 1/N chance of capturing affected traffic, where N is the (fairly large) number of entry or exit nodes. Also, Tor changes which entry and exit nodes you use on occasion (about every few minutes, if I recall).
- ch0wn 15y ago
  Also, if you communicate through properly encrypted protocols, the exit node won't get anything interesting to see.
  - mike-cardwell 15y ago
    Which is easier said than done. For web traffic, the site has to use https for everything. Secondly, the site has to secure their cookies from being sent over http, either by using HSTS with the includeSubDomains flag, or the "secure" cookie flag. Thirdly, you have to assume that the exit node isn't using a forged certificate from a compromised CA. Fourthly, you have to assume that the entity running the exit node doesn't have a zero day vulnerability for your browser, which they can deliver to you as soon as you make any http request to any site.

lootabooga 15y ago

Well, the main hurdle isn't technology, it's always politics. Tor might have fixed the block, but an Iranian using the system could still be imprisoned by the government for using it...