The problem with Tor

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes.

Tor is a collection of software that allows its users to access Internet-based resources anonymously. There are a lot of legitimate reasons why a person might want to remain anonymous on the ‘net. Unfortunately, Tor (as well as other proxy and anonymizing services) also allows unscrupulous persons to hide their illegal activities. A recent study shows that a large proportion of attacks against banking sites arrived via Tor.

As a result, major web sites are increasingly blocking access from Tor nodes, in the hope that this will reduce the overall amount of access by those seeking to do damage or obtain private information. The problem is that Tor users with no evil intent are then also prevented from using such sites.

The Tor developers are aware of this problem, and are working to keep Tor relevant by working with site owners to find ways to prevent improper access without blocking Tor completely.

So far there doesn’t appear to be a good, long-term solution to this problem. However, it may be useful to recognize that Tor is just a tool, and like all other tools, it can be used for good, evil, or anything in between. A better approach to security than wholesale blocking is to improve security on the host.

About jrivett

Jeff Rivett has worked with and written about computers since the early 1980s. His first computer was an Apple II+, built by his father and heavily customized. Jeff's writing appeared in Computist Magazine in the 1980s, and he created and sold a game utility (Ultimaker 2, reviewed in the December 1983 Washington Apple Pi Journal) to international markets during the same period. Proceeds from writing, software sales, and contract programming gigs paid his way through university, earning him a Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) degree at UWO. Jeff went on to work as a programmer, sysadmin, and manager in various industries. There's more on the About page, and on the Jeff Rivett Consulting site.

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