TORHD is a new version of the free, open-source Tor proxy service that supports encrypted connections. The service works through relays and bridges, making it independent of the applications it runs on. It is currently supported on both Windows and Linux platforms.
TOR’s application independence
TOR (protein kinase target of rapamycin) is a nifty little protein that is triggered by nutrient starvation, osmotic stress, and ER stress. It acts as a regulator of autophagy, or the recycling of cytoplasmic materials. It is also an essential pathway for stress tolerance in plants. In the context of this paper, we investigated whether TOR overexpression is a promising candidate to increase stress tolerance in the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana.
To test the hypothesis that TOR overexpression would enhance autophagy, a control and a TOR-overexpressing line were grown in a standard agar media. Autophagy was measured by counting autophagosomes and was compared to basal autophagy in the control and TOR-overexpressing lines. In the context of this study, we found that autophagy was indeed elevated in TOR-overexpressing lines under both osmotic stress and ER stress conditions.
TOR’s relays and bridges
TORHD’s relays and bridges are used to bypass Internet filtering and censorship. Tor is a software package that adds a degree of anonymity to internet traffic. This allows users to communicate sensitive information without being tracked by a website.
Tor relays are servers operated by different people or organizations. They are not listed in the public directory of Tor nodes. They are used by users who wish to use Tor but who are blocked by their network provider. These are usually slower than public Tor relays, and are not as spicecinemas reliable.
Bridges are Tor nodes that are not listed in the public directory of Tor nodes. They are not listed in the public directory because they are not publicly listed. The BridgeDB project lists a few bridges at a time. This allows users to know what bridges are available.
JonDoFox
Whether you are a privacy buff or simply want to avoid having your data harvested, JonDoFox for Firefox can help you get the most out of your browsing experience. The application is free to download, install, and run.
JonDoFox comes bundled with a slew of useful security add-ons. One of these is the HTTPS Everywhere, an extension that redirects your traffic to more than 1,000 websites. You can also write your own rules for HTTPSEverywhere.
JonDoFox also includes the JonDo Firefox profile, an add-on that includes a few Firefox privacy features. Among other things, it identifies your PC by sending your IP address in plain text, which is a nice way to prevent it from being trawled through by hackers. JonDoFox also includes the unPlug extension, which allows you to browse the web without any identifying information being left minishortner behind.
GNUnet
Using GNUnet on TORHD is a little bit different than using it on a regular computer. You can still set up a node and share files with other GNUnet users, but you don’t have a proxy.
GNUnet is a peer-to-peer network that allows users to share files, without encryption, directly from a computer’s hard drive. It’s also a secure decentralized networking system that uses a network of peers to obfuscate identities. The main goal of anonymous file-sharing in GNUnet is to make all users part of a single group, so that all communications within that group are anonymous.
GNUnet has a number of different protocols that it uses to encapsulate network traffic. It can encapsulate network traffic in the following protocols: AES-256, 4096-bit Prime key exchange, and OpenSSL’s SRP / RFC-5054.
OONI
Using the Tor network in your browser of choice may not be the most secure way to get around your firewall but it’s certainly not the worst. The Tor network is a free service that’s facilitated by a network of volunteer relays that’s often referred to as the DarkNet.
Among its ilk, the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) offers a comprehensive library of network metrics. Its implementation of the Network Diagnostic Test (NDT) provides low level TCP/IP information. Aside from that, OONI has been known to publish the results of its tests. The OONI team has also released a mobile app suited for the OONI-obsessed mobile citizen. It’s a free download for iOS and Android devices.
The Open Observatory of Network Interference is also the only organization to date to release a free software package that enables users to detect and mitigate online censorship. This software uses a combination of network metrics and a proprietary protocol to produce a number of statistically valid and credible latestforyouth results.
