4 ms·

WhatsApp and Telegram are hardly replacements for Tor access. A government can block them easily. The onion service's days were numbered after they fired Runa

WhatsApp and Telegram are hardly replacements for Tor access. A government can block them easily. The onion service's days were numbered after they fired Runa Sandvik. I'm surprised it lasted this long. Looking at the pay and current labor disputes, it seems like the New York Times isn't a good place for a skilled software engineer to work these days. They'll keep running SecureDrop over an onion service, right...?

spyspy 2y ago
Runa was a gem. Her firing was a huge blow to the company. Nobody of any note lasts very long at NYT.
- drweevil 2y ago
  Amen to that. I should have known she was behind the Tor link, which I used often. I'm disappointed in the Times. Nothing new there.
mmooss 2y ago
> WhatsApp and Telegram are hardly replacements for Tor access. A government can block them easily. Also, you tell a private company information that you are reading the NYT and which articles you read. If the NYT is banned or a signal of suspicion where you live, that doesn't help.
keepamovin 2y ago
Lol it is not hard to create a hidden service: Prerequisites: - Linux: You may need `sudo` privileges to install Tor and modify system files. - macOS: Homebrew must be installed (`brew`) to manage Tor. - A web server must already be running on the specified local port (e.g., 8080). - Firewall: This function does not configure the firewall. Ensure that: - Tor’s default port (9050) is allowed. - Your web server’s port (e.g., 8080) is accessible locally. #!/usr/bin/env bash # Function to add a Tor hidden service for a local web server add_tor_hidden_service() { local local_port="${1:-8080}" # Default to 8080 if no port is provided local torrc="" local tordir="" local sudo_cmd="" local os_type="" # Detect OS and set paths if [[ "$OSTYPE" == "linux-gnu"* ]]; then os_type="linux" torrc="/etc/tor/torrc" tordir="/var/lib/tor" sudo_cmd="sudo -n" elif [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then os_type="macos" torrc="$(brew --prefix)/etc/tor/torrc" tordir="$(brew --prefix)/var/lib/tor" else echo "Error: Unsupported OS (Linux or macOS required)" >&2 return 1 fi # Install Tor if not already installed if ! command -v tor &>/dev/null; then echo "Installing Tor..." >&2 if [[ "$os_type" == "linux" ]]; then if [ -f /etc/debian_version ]; then $sudo_cmd apt update && $sudo_cmd apt install -y tor elif [ -f /etc/redhat-release ]; then $sudo_cmd yum install -y tor || $sudo_cmd dnf install -y tor else echo "Error: Only Debian or RedHat-based Linux supported" >&2 return 1 fi elif [[ "$os_type" == "macos" ]]; then brew install tor fi fi # Ensure Tor is running if [[ "$os_type" == "linux" ]]; then $sudo_cmd systemctl start tor elif [[ "$os_type" == "macos" ]]; then brew services start tor fi # Configure hidden service local hidden_service_dir="$tordir/hidden_service_$local_port" local dir_line="HiddenServiceDir $hidden_service_dir" local port_line="HiddenServicePort 80 127.0.0.1:$local_port" if ! grep -qF -- "$dir_line" "$torrc"; then echo "Configuring Tor hidden service..." >&2 echo "$dir_line" | $sudo_cmd tee -a "$torrc" >/dev/null echo "$port_line" | $sudo_cmd tee -a "$torrc" >/dev/null fi # Restart Tor to apply changes echo "Restarting Tor..." >&2 if [[ "$os_type" == "linux" ]]; then $sudo_cmd systemctl restart tor elif [[ "$os_type" == "macos" ]]; then brew services restart tor fi # Wait for onion address to be generated local onion_address="" for attempt in {1..30}; do if [[ -f "$hidden_service_dir/hostname" ]]; then onion_address=$($sudo_cmd cat "$hidden_service_dir/hostname") break fi sleep 1 done if [[ -z "$onion_address" ]]; then echo "Error: Failed to generate onion address" >&2 return 1 fi echo "Success! Your web server is now available on the Tor network." >&2 echo "Onion address: $onion_address" >&2 echo "$onion_address" } # Example usage # serve -p 8080 # add_tor_hidden_service 8080 add_tor_hidden_service "$@" Tested on macOS, probably good in other OS listed above. So run a server on a port. Then run this function. Boom, you have a hidden service. Mining for a nice vanity hostname might be more difficult tho! How would that be done?
- aspenmayer 2y ago
  > Mining for a nice vanity hostname might be more difficult tho! How would that be done? https://community.torproject.org/onion-services/advanced/vanity-addresses/ https://community.torproject.org/onion-services/advanced/van...
  - keepamovin 2y ago
    Nice, this is cool, too: Onionmine hahaha :) https://onionservices.torproject.org/apps/web/onionmine/ https://onionservices.torproject.org/apps/web/onionmine/
wkat4242 2y ago
Yeah only last year a court in Spain ruled to block telegram for everyone after some minor civil law disagreement. I had to scramble to set up an MTProxy for me and my friends (which was pretty easy with docker). Fortunately it never happened because the government called them back.

spyspy 2y ago

Runa was a gem. Her firing was a huge blow to the company. Nobody of any note lasts very long at NYT.

drweevil 2y ago
Amen to that. I should have known she was behind the Tor link, which I used often. I'm disappointed in the Times. Nothing new there.

mmooss 2y ago

> WhatsApp and Telegram are hardly replacements for Tor access. A government can block them easily. Also, you tell a private company information that you are reading the NYT and which articles you read. If the NYT is banned or a signal of suspicion where you live, that doesn't help.

keepamovin 2y ago

Lol it is not hard to create a hidden service: Prerequisites: - Linux: You may need `sudo` privileges to install Tor and modify system files. - macOS: Homebrew must be installed (`brew`) to manage Tor. - A web server must already be running on the specified local port (e.g., 8080). - Firewall: This function does not configure the firewall. Ensure that: - Tor’s default port (9050) is allowed. - Your web server’s port (e.g., 8080) is accessible locally. #!/usr/bin/env bash # Function to add a Tor hidden service for a local web server add_tor_hidden_service() { local local_port="${1:-8080}" # Default to 8080 if no port is provided local torrc="" local tordir="" local sudo_cmd="" local os_type="" # Detect OS and set paths if [[ "$OSTYPE" == "linux-gnu"* ]]; then os_type="linux" torrc="/etc/tor/torrc" tordir="/var/lib/tor" sudo_cmd="sudo -n" elif [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then os_type="macos" torrc="$(brew --prefix)/etc/tor/torrc" tordir="$(brew --prefix)/var/lib/tor" else echo "Error: Unsupported OS (Linux or macOS required)" >&2 return 1 fi # Install Tor if not already installed if ! command -v tor &>/dev/null; then echo "Installing Tor..." >&2 if [[ "$os_type" == "linux" ]]; then if [ -f /etc/debian_version ]; then $sudo_cmd apt update && $sudo_cmd apt install -y tor elif [ -f /etc/redhat-release ]; then $sudo_cmd yum install -y tor || $sudo_cmd dnf install -y tor else echo "Error: Only Debian or RedHat-based Linux supported" >&2 return 1 fi elif [[ "$os_type" == "macos" ]]; then brew install tor fi fi # Ensure Tor is running if [[ "$os_type" == "linux" ]]; then $sudo_cmd systemctl start tor elif [[ "$os_type" == "macos" ]]; then brew services start tor fi # Configure hidden service local hidden_service_dir="$tordir/hidden_service_$local_port" local dir_line="HiddenServiceDir $hidden_service_dir" local port_line="HiddenServicePort 80 127.0.0.1:$local_port" if ! grep -qF -- "$dir_line" "$torrc"; then echo "Configuring Tor hidden service..." >&2 echo "$dir_line" | $sudo_cmd tee -a "$torrc" >/dev/null echo "$port_line" | $sudo_cmd tee -a "$torrc" >/dev/null fi # Restart Tor to apply changes echo "Restarting Tor..." >&2 if [[ "$os_type" == "linux" ]]; then $sudo_cmd systemctl restart tor elif [[ "$os_type" == "macos" ]]; then brew services restart tor fi # Wait for onion address to be generated local onion_address="" for attempt in {1..30}; do if [[ -f "$hidden_service_dir/hostname" ]]; then onion_address=$($sudo_cmd cat "$hidden_service_dir/hostname") break fi sleep 1 done if [[ -z "$onion_address" ]]; then echo "Error: Failed to generate onion address" >&2 return 1 fi echo "Success! Your web server is now available on the Tor network." >&2 echo "Onion address: $onion_address" >&2 echo "$onion_address" } # Example usage # serve -p 8080 # add_tor_hidden_service 8080 add_tor_hidden_service "$@" Tested on macOS, probably good in other OS listed above. So run a server on a port. Then run this function. Boom, you have a hidden service. Mining for a nice vanity hostname might be more difficult tho! How would that be done?

aspenmayer 2y ago
> Mining for a nice vanity hostname might be more difficult tho! How would that be done? https://community.torproject.org/onion-services/advanced/vanity-addresses/ https://community.torproject.org/onion-services/advanced/van...
- keepamovin 2y ago
  Nice, this is cool, too: Onionmine hahaha :) https://onionservices.torproject.org/apps/web/onionmine/ https://onionservices.torproject.org/apps/web/onionmine/

wkat4242 2y ago

Yeah only last year a court in Spain ruled to block telegram for everyone after some minor civil law disagreement. I had to scramble to set up an MTProxy for me and my friends (which was pretty easy with docker). Fortunately it never happened because the government called them back.