Significant Release of Tor Browser 12.5 Focuses On Ensuring Anonymity, Safety, and Privatism
After eight months of development, the Tor Project has presented a new and significant release, the Tor Browser 12.5. This specialized browser is developed based on ESR-testing Firefox 102 and focuses on ensuring users’ anonymity, safety, and privatism.
The Tor Browser only redirects traffic through the Tor network, making it impossible to contact the user directly through the standard network connection of the current system. This ensures that the real IP address of the user cannot be accessed by attackers in case of hacking the browser. However, products such as Whonix should be used to completely block any possible leaks.
Assemblies of Tor Browser are available for Linux, Android, Windows, and MacOS. To provide additional protection, the “HTTPS Only” setting is included in the Tor Browser. This setting allows the use of traffic encryption on all sites where it is possible.
Furthermore, the Tor Browser has an addition to noscript, which effectively reduces the threat of attacks using JavaScript and blocking plugins in the kit. To combat blocking and traffic inspecting, the Tor project includes fteproxy and OBFS4Proxy.
In order to set up an encrypted communication channel, alternative transports are offered which allow users to get around attempts to block Tor, such as in China. To protect users from tracking and data extraction activities, the Tor API WebGL, WebGL2, WebAudio, Social, SpeechSyNThesis, Touch, Audiocontext, Mediastream, Cansvas, Cansovas, Candiastext. Sharedworker, Webaudio, Permissions, Mediadevices.enumeratedevices, Screen Orientation, as well as the means of sending telemetry, Pocket, Reader View, Http Alternate-Services, MoztCpSocket, Link REL = PRECONNECT, and modified LIBMDNS.
In the new version, there are several features that offer additional protection and ease of use. Information about the Tor chain involved in accessing the current site is now easily accessible, which simplifies the process. The country’s flag is also shown in the chain, as well as the server located in the bark for increased visualization.
The panel has been converted to improve compatibility with screen readers, and for the SecuredRop service, users can switch with a visual name of the site to a display in the address line of the Onion-address. Additionally, when opening onion sites, the address line has a display of individual icons that allow users to visually highlight the work with the onion services and exclude the connection of the onion services with a specific browser.
The Tor Project encourages users to download and install the new