Tor Browser 4_0_4 Release improves security and privacy

The Tor Project has announced a new version of Tor Browser Bundle, Tor version 4.0.4, that improves privacy and security features.

The Tor Project has announced a new release of the Tor Browser Bundle, Tor Browser version 4.0.4, that improves privacy and security features implemented by the popular anonymizing software. The Tor Browser is used by Internet users to browse the Internet in an anonymous way, it implements an Internet browser based on Mozilla Firefox configured to ensure users’ anonymity.

Tor is today considered a secure network that could be used to hide user’s identity online, Tor is the acronym of “The onion router”. Tor client software routes Internet traffic through a worldwide volunteer network of servers hiding user’s information eluding any activities of monitoring. The Tor Project was developed by the US Naval Research Laboratory, but starting from 2004 until 2005 it was supported by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Actually, the software is under development and maintenance of Tor Project.

The list of new features implemented in the Tor Browser announced by the Tor Project includes:

Updated to Firefox to 31.5.0esr with important security updates.
Update OpenSSL to 1.0.1l
Update NoScript to 2.6.9.15
Update HTTPS-Everywhere to 4.0.3

The new release of the Tor Browser also fixes the following issues

Bug 14203: Prevent meek from displaying an extra update notification
Bug 14849: Remove new NoScript menu option to make permissions permanent
Bug 14851: Set NoScript prefto disable permanent permissions

Tor is mostly used by activists, journalists and those individuals that need to circumvent online censorship operated by several governments. Unfortunately, the Tor network is often abused by cyber criminals too, recently I wrote a detailed analysis titled “Hunting malware in the Deep Web” that explains how criminal crews exploit the anonymizing network to hide the control infrastructure of their botnet.

The Tor network is also abused by other categories of criminals, it is considered a secure environment by pedophiles and criminals that want to buy and sell any kind of illegal product in the various black markets available in the network. Last year the anonymizing network was targeted by several attacks with the intent to de-anonymize its users. Other significant events occurred in the 2014 are the Operation Onymous, a joint action of Law enforcement and judicial agencies against dark markets on Tor networks, and adding of 12 high-capacity Tor Middle relays by the Polaris, an initiative by Mozilla, the Tor Project and the Center of Democracy and Technology, that helps to overwhelm limitation of finite number of Tor connections occurring at the same time.

Don’t wast time …. download the new Tor Browser Bundle.

Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs – Tor Browser, Anonymity)

Pierluigi Paganini

Pierluigi Paganini is member of the ENISA (European Union Agency for Network and Information Security) Threat Landscape Stakeholder Group and Cyber G7 Group, he is also a Security Evangelist, Security Analyst and Freelance Writer. Editor-in-Chief at "Cyber Defense Magazine", Pierluigi is a cyber security expert with over 20 years experience in the field, he is Certified Ethical Hacker at EC Council in London. The passion for writing and a strong belief that security is founded on sharing and awareness led Pierluigi to find the security blog "Security Affairs" recently named a Top National Security Resource for US. Pierluigi is a member of the "The Hacker News" team and he is a writer for some major publications in the field such as Cyber War Zone, ICTTF, Infosec Island, Infosec Institute, The Hacker News Magazine and for many other Security magazines. Author of the Books "The Deep Dark Web" and “Digital Virtual Currency and Bitcoin”.