Wireless onion router

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A wireless onion router is a router that uses Tor to connect securely to a network. The onion router [1] allows the user to connect to the internet anonymously creating an anonymous connection. Tor works using an overlaid network which is free throughout the world, this overlay network is created by using numerous relay [2] points created using volunteer which helps the user hide personal information behind layers of encrypted data like layers of an onion. Routers are being created using Raspberry Pi adding a wireless module or using its own inbuilt wireless module in the later versions.

Contents

It has transparent encryption for the application, the user does not have to think about how the data will be sent or received. The encrypted data includes the destination and origin IP address of the data and the current relay point only knows the previous and the next hop of the encrypted packet. These relay points are selected in a random order and can only decrypt a single layer before forwarding it to the next hop where is the procedure is followed unless it is the destination point.

Applications

A wireless router which can use the onion router network can be used to keep the user safe from hackers or network sniffers. The data captured by them won't make any sense as it will only look like messed up text. These are small and handy which will give the user a freedom to carry this tool and connect to the network from anywhere. This setup does not require installation of Tor browser on the work station. Whistle blowers and NGO workers use this network to pass information or to talk to their family without disclosing any information. [3] The applications of wireless onion router are common to a normal router, it provides access that allows it to be placed at a site and users can get connected.

Tor can be used in security focused Operating Systems, messengers, browsers. These can be anonymised using Tor network.

Weaknesses

A wireless onion router works on the Tor network and shares the same weaknesses, as mentioned in the Tor page. The University of Michigan has created a scanner capable of scanning almost 90% of bridges that are live in a single scan. [4] The packets that transferred using Tor also are slow because of the increased amount of hops with encryption and decryption.

Anonymous System (Eavesdropping)

Anonymous systems if exists on both ends of the network, exit relay and entry relay can sniff the packets and statistically correlate the traffic which can point out the destination or the source address of the packet. [5] This also includes eavesdropping at the exit nodes of the network. The data that is between the exit node and the destination server is not encrypted. These data packets can be captured easily. [6] This captured data can reveal the source information, and as suggested by Egersta these nodes are costly to run and require a lot of bandwidth which could suggest that some intelligence agencies might be running them. [7] There have been tested techniques with one third of control nodes to compromise the Tor network. [8]

Traffic Analysis

Articles have been proposed which with some partial knowledge of the network give away which nodes are being used to relay the packets which reduces the anonymity provided by the network. [9] Another techniques which shows relations between streams and then can be linked back to the initiator are available, this technique however does not reveal the source. [9]

IP Exposing Protocols

Some protocols can be used to expose the IP address using tor dissimulation procedures. Some of the examples are Inspection of control messages of BitTorrent, [10] Hijacking responses of the trackers, [10] exploitation of distributed hash tables. [10]

Related Research Articles

An anonymous remailer is a server that receives messages with embedded instructions on where to send them next, and that forwards them without revealing where they originally came from. There are cypherpunk anonymous remailers, mixmaster anonymous remailers, and nym servers, among others, which differ in how they work, in the policies they adopt, and in the type of attack on the anonymity of e-mail they can resist. Remailing as discussed in this article applies to e-mails intended for particular recipients, not the general public. Anonymity in the latter case is more easily addressed by using any of several methods of anonymous publication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proxy server</span> Computer server that makes and receives requests on behalf of a user

In computer networking, a proxy server is a server application that acts as an intermediary between a client requesting a resource and the server providing that resource. It improves privacy, security, and performance in the process.

In computer networking, promiscuous mode is a mode for a wired network interface controller (NIC) or wireless network interface controller (WNIC) that causes the controller to pass all traffic it receives to the central processing unit (CPU) rather than passing only the frames that the controller is specifically programmed to receive. This mode is normally used for packet sniffing that takes place on a router or on a computer connected to a wired network or one being part of a wireless LAN. Interfaces are placed into promiscuous mode by software bridges often used with hardware virtualization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onion routing</span> Technique for anonymous communication over a computer network

Onion routing is a technique for anonymous communication over a computer network. In an onion network, messages are encapsulated in layers of encryption, analogous to the layers of an onion. The encrypted data is transmitted through a series of network nodes called "onion routers," each of which "peels" away a single layer, revealing the data's next destination. When the final layer is decrypted, the message arrives at its destination. The sender remains anonymous because each intermediary knows only the location of the immediately preceding and following nodes. While onion routing provides a high level of security and anonymity, there are methods to break the anonymity of this technique, such as timing analysis.

An anonymous P2P communication system is a peer-to-peer distributed application in which the nodes, which are used to share resources, or participants are anonymous or pseudonymous. Anonymity of participants is usually achieved by special routing overlay networks that hide the physical location of each node from other participants.

Traffic analysis is the process of intercepting and examining messages in order to deduce information from patterns in communication. It can be performed even when the messages are encrypted. In general, the greater the number of messages observed, the greater information be inferred. Traffic analysis can be performed in the context of military intelligence, counter-intelligence, or pattern-of-life analysis, and is also a concern in computer security.

Secure communication is when two entities are communicating and do not want a third party to listen in. For this to be the case, the entities need to communicate in a way that is unsusceptible to eavesdropping or interception. Secure communication includes means by which people can share information with varying degrees of certainty that third parties cannot intercept what is said. Other than spoken face-to-face communication with no possible eavesdropper, it is probable that no communication is guaranteed to be secure in this sense, although practical obstacles such as legislation, resources, technical issues, and the sheer volume of communication serve to limit surveillance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mixminion</span>

Mixminion is the standard implementation of the Type III anonymous remailer protocol. Mixminion can send and receive anonymous e-mail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless security</span> Aspect of wireless networks

Wireless security is the prevention of unauthorized access or damage to computers or data using wireless networks, which include Wi-Fi networks. The term may also refer to the protection of the wireless network itself from adversaries seeking to damage the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the network. The most common type is Wi-Fi security, which includes Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). WEP is an old IEEE 802.11 standard from 1997. It is a notoriously weak security standard: the password it uses can often be cracked in a few minutes with a basic laptop computer and widely available software tools. WEP was superseded in 2003 by WPA, a quick alternative at the time to improve security over WEP. The current standard is WPA2; some hardware cannot support WPA2 without firmware upgrade or replacement. WPA2 uses an encryption device that encrypts the network with a 256-bit key; the longer key length improves security over WEP. Enterprises often enforce security using a certificate-based system to authenticate the connecting device, following the standard 802.11X.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer network</span> Network that allows computers to share resources and communicate with each other

A computer network is a set of computers sharing resources located on or provided by network nodes. Computers use common communication protocols over digital interconnections to communicate with each other. These interconnections are made up of telecommunication network technologies based on physically wired, optical, and wireless radio-frequency methods that may be arranged in a variety of network topologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mix network</span> Routing protocol

Mix networks are routing protocols that create hard-to-trace communications by using a chain of proxy servers known as mixes which take in messages from multiple senders, shuffle them, and send them back out in random order to the next destination. This breaks the link between the source of the request and the destination, making it harder for eavesdroppers to trace end-to-end communications. Furthermore, mixes only know the node that it immediately received the message from, and the immediate destination to send the shuffled messages to, making the network resistant to malicious mix nodes.

A wireless ad hoc network (WANET) or mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a decentralized type of wireless network. The network is ad hoc because it does not rely on a pre-existing infrastructure, such as routers or wireless access points. Instead, each node participates in routing by forwarding data for other nodes. The determination of which nodes forward data is made dynamically on the basis of network connectivity and the routing algorithm in use.

An anonymizer or an anonymous proxy is a tool that attempts to make activity on the Internet untraceable. It is a proxy server computer that acts as an intermediary and privacy shield between a client computer and the rest of the Internet. It accesses the Internet on the user's behalf, protecting personal information of the user by hiding the client computer's identifying information such as IP addresses. Anonymous proxy is the opposite of transparent proxy, which sends user information in the connection request header.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tor (network)</span> Free and open-source anonymity network based on onion routing

Tor, short for The Onion Router, is free and open-source software for enabling anonymous communication. It directs Internet traffic via a free, worldwide, volunteer overlay network that consists of more than seven thousand relays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Network forensics</span>

Network forensics is a sub-branch of digital forensics relating to the monitoring and analysis of computer network traffic for the purposes of information gathering, legal evidence, or intrusion detection. Unlike other areas of digital forensics, network investigations deal with volatile and dynamic information. Network traffic is transmitted and then lost, so network forensics is often a pro-active investigation.

Network cloaking is an attempt to provide network security by hiding the devices behind the network gateway. The theory is that if hackers cannot see the devices or scan them, they cannot be attacked. To access the network behind the gateway, an authorized user must authenticate themselves to the gateway, and then the gateway allows them to see the devices they are permitted to by the security policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parrot OS</span> Debian-based Linux distribution

Parrot OS is a Linux distribution based on Debian with a focus on security, privacy, and development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Dingledine</span> American computer scientist

Roger Dingledine is an American computer scientist known for having co-founded the Tor Project. A student of mathematics, computer science, and electrical engineering, Dingledine is also known by the pseudonym arma. As of December 2016, he continues in a leadership role with the Tor Project, as a project Leader, Director, and Research Director.

Network eavesdropping, also known as eavesdropping attack, sniffing attack, or snooping attack, is a method that retrieves user information through the internet. This attack happens on electronic devices like computers and smartphones. This network attack typically happens under the usage of unsecured networks, such as public wifi connections or shared electronic devices. Eavesdropping attacks through the network is considered one of the most urgent threats in industries that rely on collecting and storing data. Internet users use eavesdropping via the Internet to improve information security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowflake (software)</span> Anti-censorship software

Snowflake is a software package for assisting others in circumventing internet censorship by relaying data requests. Snowflake relay nodes are meant to be created by people in countries where Tor and Snowflake are not blocked. People under censorship then use a Snowflake client, packaged with the Tor Browser or Onion Browser, to access the Tor network, using Snowflake relays as proxy servers. Access to the Tor network can in turn give access to other blocked services. A Snowflake node can be created by either installing a browser extension, installing a stand-alone program, or browsing a webpage with an embedded Snowflake relay. The node runs whenever the browser or program is connected to the internet.

References

  1. ↑ Traffic monitoring and analysis : third international workshop, TMA 2011, Vienna, Austria, April 27, 2011 : proceedings. Domingo-Pascual, J. (Jordi), 1958-, Shavitt, Yuval., Uhlig, Steve. Berlin: Springer. 2011. ISBN   9783642203046. OCLC   728101720.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. ↑ "Torstatus".
  3. ↑ "torproject".
  4. ↑ "Zmap Internet Scan Zero Day". 2013-08-20.
  5. ↑ Proceedings, 2012 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, S & P 2012 : 21-23 May 2012, San Francisco, California, USA. IEEE Computer Society. Los Alamitos, Calif.: IEEE Computer Society. 2012. ISBN   9780769546810. OCLC   812608077.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. ↑ Zetter, Kim. "Rogue Nodes Turn Tor Anonymizer Into Eavesdropper's Paradise". WIRED. Retrieved 2017-10-13.
  7. ↑ "The hack of the year - Security - Technology - smh.com.au". www.smh.com.au. 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2017-10-13.
  8. ↑ "Tor anonymizing network Compromised by French researchers". The Hacker News. Retrieved 2017-10-13.
  9. 1 2 Murdoch, S. J.; Danezis, G. (May 2005). "Low-Cost Traffic Analysis of Tor". 2005 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (S&P'05). pp. 183–195. doi:10.1109/sp.2005.12. ISBN   978-0-7695-2339-2. S2CID   14029551.
  10. 1 2 3 "Download Limit Exceeded". CiteSeerX   10.1.1.167.5679 .{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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