#Tor onion router. software

However, if you access web servers via HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) when using Onion over VPN, your traffic is still encrypted between the exit node and the web server. This leaves you vulnerable to malicious exit nodes as your traffic is visible. If you access web servers via HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) when using Onion over VPN, your traffic is not encrypted between the exit node and the web server. When an exit node is set up to spy on or exploit Tor users, this is known as a malicious exit node. Tor is a community-based network where anyone can set up multiple nodes and, in theory, spy on your activity. The traffic is decrypted at the exit node, which means third parties can see what you’re doing but not who is doing it. Within the Onion network, your traffic is then encrypted and decrypted three more times before reaching its destination. When using onion over VPN, your traffic is decrypted after passing through the VPN server and sent on to the Onion network. Risk of Malicious Exit NodesĪ VPN encrypts all web traffic between your device and the VPN server. This provides an additional layer of privacy.

Even if your VPN keeps connection logs, there is no way for your VPN provider to see exactly which websites you access within the Onion network.Īdditionally, the Tor guard node will be unable to see your true IP address – only the IP address of your VPN server. However, it cannot see your browsing activity within the network. Your VPN service will know you are connected to Tor. Using Onion over VPN reduces the likelihood of this surveillance as your ISP (Internet Service Provider) will not know you are connected to Tor. The use of Tor can mark you for surveillance by the government. Tor is associated with criminal activity due to its affiliation with the dark web. Here’s a more detailed overview of how Onion over VPN offers additional security, and how it doesn’t: Your ISP and VPN Service Cannot Monitor Your Activity Protects against complete de-anonymization in traffic correlation attacks Protects against certain forms of malware The Tor guard node cannot see your IP address Your VPN service will not know you’re using Tor, but not what you’re doing Your VPN service cannot monitor your browsing activity Your ISP cannot see that you’re using TorĮxit nodes are frequently blocked by websites Provides an additional layer of encryptionĬan access the Tor network in geo-blocked locations In the table below, we’ve compared the pros and cons of Onion over VPN so you can decide if it’s worth it: Pros For this reason, we only recommend using this setup in extreme circumstances where security is pivotal. However, it is extremely slow and inconvenient compared to using the Tor browser alone. It prevents your ISP from knowing Tor is in use, and stops your VPN service from monitoring your activity. Onion over VPN helps to protect your traffic and shield your browsing from surveillance.

This means you can use Onion over VPN to improve your safety on Tor, but you cannot rely on it entirely. Four layers of encryption protect your traffic when using Onion over VPN, while only three layers of encryption are applied when using the Tor browser alone.Ĭonnecting to a VPN before using the Tor network provides an additional layer of privacy and security compared to using the Tor browser alone. Put simply, the VPN server acts as an extra node in the data transfer. The Tor exit node is able to see the contents of your browsing data, but it does not know the VPN IP address.

At the exit node, your traffic is decrypted before it reaches its final destination.

At each node, a layer of encryption is removed. This adds three additional layers of Tor encryption.

As your traffic travels through the Tor network, it is bounced through three ‘nodes’ in different locations: the guard node, the middle node, and the exit node.

Your browsing traffic is decrypted once it leaves the VPN server, though it still carries the VPN server’s IP address.

This adds an additional layer of privacy.

If you use the Tor browser while connected to the VPN, the guard node (the first Tor node) will see the IP address of your VPN server instead of your own public IP address.

#Tor onion router. software

When you connect to a VPN server, the VPN software creates an encrypted tunnel between your device and a remote VPN server, concealing your browsing activity and IP address from your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and other third parties.