Is Tor Safe to Use

Tor is no longer as safe as it once was. Hackers constantly attempt to breach Tor’s security. Many groups, organizations, and individuals want access to the information Tor browser is hiding and try to get that time and again.

What Is Tor and Why Should I Use It?

Let’s take a look at what Tor does, who uses it, and most importantly, what Tor won’t do.

Published December 7, 2020
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Tor is one of the easiest ways to browse the web anonymously. But now that we’ve said the “a” word, we need to put a big ol’ asterisk next to it, because using Tor to conceal your online activities comes with a bunch of caveats. Let’s take a look at what Tor does, who uses it, and most importantly, what Tor won’t do if you’re looking to hide online.

How Tor works

Tor is short for The Onion Router (thus the logo) and was initially a worldwide network of servers developed with the U.S. Navy that enabled people to browse the internet anonymously. Now, it’s a non-profit organization whose main purpose is the research and development of online privacy tools.

The Tor network disguises your identity by encrypting your traffic and moving it across different Tor relays within the network. Software engineer Robert Heaton has a great summary of how this keeps you (theoretically) anonymous:

When you visit a website using a normal web browser, your computer makes a direct TCP connection with the website’s server. Anyone monitoring your internet connection (or that of the server) could trivially inspect your IP packet headers, discover the IP addresses of both you and the server, and deduce that you were communicating with each other. So long as you and the server were communicating using encrypted HTTPS, the snooper wouldn’t be able to read the actual contents of your messages. But – as Person X knows all too well – sometimes even just knowing who you are communicating with is all the information an adversary needs.

By contrast, when you visit a website using the Tor browser, your computer never communicates with the website’s server directly. Instead, the Tor browser constructs a twisty path through a random set of 3 Tor nodes, and sends your data via this circuit. The browser starts by sending your data to the first (or guard) node in the circuit. The guard node sends your data on to the second (or middle) node. The middle node sends your data on to the third (or exit) node, and finally the exit node sends your data to the website’s server. The server sends its response back to the exit node, which takes care of propagating the response back to you, via the rest of the circuit.

All you have to do to access Tor is download the Tor browser . Launch it, and everything you do in the browser will go through the Tor network. Most people won’t need to adjust any settings; it just works. That said, since your data is going to hop through a lot of relays, your experience on Tor might be more sluggish than your normal internet browsing.

What Tor is good for

Tor is useful for anyone who wants to keep their internet activities out of the hands of advertisers, ISPs, and websites. That includes people getting around censorship restrictions in their country, people looking to hide their IP address, or anyone else who doesn’t want their browsing habits linked to them.

The Tor network can also host websites that are only accessible by other Tor users. In other words, you’ve now entered the world of the Dark Web, or sites that aren’t indexed by the regular crawlers you use to search for cute animals, things to buy, and trivia answers. You can find everything from free textbooks to drugs on the Dark Web—and worse—so long as you know the special URL that takes you to these sites. Tread carefully.

What Tor doesn’t do

Tor sounds perfect on paper—a free, easy system you can use to live a clandestine life online. But it’s far from that. There are plenty of ways to give up your security and anonymity if you’re using Tor. For example, consider this scenario from Naked Security’s Paul Ducklin :

Although Tor’s exit nodes can’t tell where you are, thanks to the anonymising effects of the entry guard and middle relay (which changes frequently), they do get to see your final, decrypted traffic and its ultimate destination, because it’s the exit node that strips off Tor’s final layer of mix-and-mystery encryption.

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In other words, if you use Tor to browse to a non-HTTPS (unencrypted) web page, then the Tor exit node that handles your traffic can not only snoop on and modify your outgoing web requests but also mess with any replies that come back.

While Tor might help conceal that it was your computer that made an initial request to, say, visit some sketchy internet forum and do all sorts of horrible things, it’s not going to do anything to help you out if you make an account on that website. And if that account is ever associated with illegal activities, payments, and/or real-world addresses, it doesn’t really matter what browser or anonymizing technique you use to visit the site. You won’t be very hidden after all.

That’s not all. Many of the ways you’d use a normal web browser could also cough up your identity on Tor—or, at least, leave enough breadcrumbs for a dedicated entity to more easily figure out who you are. As the Tor Project describes :

Tor Browser will block browser plugins such as Flash, RealPlayer, Quicktime, and others: they can be manipulated into revealing your IP address. Similarly, we do not recommend installing additional addons or plugins into Tor Browser, as these may bypass Tor or otherwise harm your anonymity and privacy.

Tor Browser will warn you before automatically opening documents that are handled by external applications. DO NOT IGNORE THIS WARNING. You should be very careful when downloading documents via Tor (especially DOC and PDF files, unless you use the PDF viewer that’s built into Tor Browser) as these documents can contain Internet resources that will be downloaded outside of Tor by the application that opens them. This will reveal your non-Tor IP address. If you must work with files downloaded via Tor, we strongly recommend either using a disconnected computer, or using dangerzone to create safe PDF files that you can open. Under no circumstances is it safe to use BitTorrent and Tor together, however.

And if an entity is determined to find out who you are, and are willing to serve you up some malware to get there, the simple fact that you’re using Tor isn’t going to stop them. A Tor-themed FBI bust shows how this might work, as reported by Motherboard back in 2013:

The FBI’s big child porn bust this summer also raised some suspicion from privacy advocates over how easy it is for the Feds to infiltrate Tor. The FBI managed to crack the anonymous network by injecting malware into the browser, in order to identify what it called “the “largest child porn facilitator on the planet.” In the process, the malware revealed the IP addresses of hundreds of users.

So, should you use Tor?

If you’re an average user looking at cat GIFs and browsing Facebook, you probably don’t need to worry about the government spying on your activity. Tor is just going to slow down your connection. It’s more likely that you need to secure your internet rather than anonymize it, say, when you’re using public wifi . In that case, you’d want to make sure you’re using HTTPS on all sites that support it, and possibly even a VPN to encrypt all your traffic when you’re away from home.

If you don’t have a VPN, Tor is better than nothing, but I wouldn’t use it to sign into any services—especially financial ones. You still don’t know who controls the various nodes in your relay, including that all-important exit node; I’d rather trust my connection over a single-source VPN (even though, theoretically, you’re still passing your data through another entity).

In other words, if you don’t really need to be anonymous, don’t worry about Tor.

And if you want to stay anonymous because you’re downloading large files and don’t want people to see what you’re downloading—say, on BitTorrent— Tor is not a good solution . Don’t be that jerk that slows down everyone else’s traffic for no reason. Just as important, you might not actually be anonymous at all . In this case, you’ll want a VPN instead .

Remember, Tor is not simply a “free VPN.” Both can help you have some kind of anonymity online, but the approaches are wildly different.

This article was original published in February 2014 by Thorin Klosowski. It was updated in December 2020 by David Murphy, who added new information about Tor, quoted additional sources, updated hyperlinks, and updated images. Updated 3/4/22 with new details.

Is Tor Safe to Use?

Tor is a special web browser that anonymizes your internet traffic by sending it through multiple Tor computers. This ensures that nobody is able to see where data is coming from and where it’s going. Tor browser makes it difficult for governments or websites to link your browsing activity to you and therefore enhances your privacy online. But is it safe to use Tor?

Well, like any other system, it has its weaknesses. Your system can still be hacked, you can still get malware when browsing with Tor — especially if you use it to access the dark web. It’s highly advisable to take some precautions when using the Tor browser:

• Use the Safest option when determining your security level. This option can be found by going to the Privacy & Setting in the menu.
• Make sure you have reliable antivirus software installed on your device to protect against viruses and other malware.
• Use a good VPN along with Tor. This will add an essential extra layer of security to ensure none of your information is visible to third parties. We recommend NordVPN as it’s highly secure and user-friendly.

NordVPN

Read the full article below for everything you need to know about staying safe while using Tor browser.

For many, The Onion Router (Tor) has become a household name. It’s a guaranteed safe way to stay anonymous on the internet. In theory, no one can see what you’re doing online when you use the Tor browser. Moreover, it’s one of the easiest ways to access the dark web.

Over the past years, however, it has become apparent on multiple occasions that Tor’s security suffers from some serious problems. The FBI, CIA, and NSA have all been able to crack Tor’s security. So is Tor safe to use? Is it still a decent way to anonymously surf the web?

The short answer is yes. You can use Tor browser to surf anonymously. However, we strongly discourage you from using just Tor for online protection.

Multiple incidents have shown that unsafe use of Tor can result in a severe privacy leak or even issues with your online safety. Think of viruses, criminals, and hacks. This article will shed some more light on these problems with Tor.

To protect yourself as well as possible, it’s best to use Tor browser in combination with a decent virtual private network (VPN) and an antivirus. A trustworthy VPN you could consider is NordVPN. This service has excellent encryption, is very user-friendly, and has thousands of servers available for you to choose from.

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How Tor Works

Tor browser is a special browser that anonymizes your internet traffic. Your data is sent past multiple Tor computers. With this process, the browser ensures that outsiders are unable to see where that data came from and where it’s going.

In other words: Tor browser makes it a lot more difficult for websites and even governments to link your online browsing behavior back to you. At every stop (or node) that Tor uses to cloak your data, an extra layer of encryption is added or removed, depending on which way the traffic is going. Therefore, using the Tor browser should result in a safe and anonymous internet experience.

Using Tor isn’t illegal. The browser is used by many different people, among them those who would like to stay anonymous because they’re using the platform to criticize the dictatorship of the country they’re living in.

In these cases, Tor ensures freedom of speech. People using Tor still have the possibility to speak freely about political issues, without having to fear getting prosecuted for it.

Simultaneously, there are also people that use the Tor browser out of principle. They simply don’t want to be tracked by companies and marketers. However, it has come to light that Tor isn’t as safe as we all assumed.

Tor’s Safety Breached

Several court cases have shown that illegal activities on the dark web can sometimes be traced back to specific individuals using Tor browser. Hence, it seems possible to discover and collect a user’s data — including their IP address — even when they are being protected by Tor.

In the past, Tor users have been found out because the National Security Agency (NSA) in the U.S. owned a huge part of the Tor nodes. The NSA could clearly see who used those nodes. This was problematic for users who concern themselves with illegal practices. The moment those users are identifiable, the police can track them down and arrest them.

Tor is no longer as safe as it once was. Hackers constantly attempt to breach Tor’s security. Many groups, organizations, and individuals want access to the information Tor browser is hiding and try to get that time and again.

In 2014, one group of researchers succeeded. Financed by the government, they took a closer look at Tor browser and were able to collect information from the browser for months on end.

Weaknesses in the Tor software can surface in less compromising ways, as well: in 2017, users found a leak that could easily make IP addresses of Linux and macOS users visible.

Of course, Tor didn’t sit around to watch all this happen: whenever a possible leak in the system was discovered, those leaks were patched as soon as possible.

However, in February 2021, researchers reported that about 27% of Tor’s exit nodes (shown in the infographic above) were controlled by a malicious actor tracking users’ dark web activity. So it’s important to note that Tor is not completely safe and anonymous, and does have some inherent risks.

Which Risks Do I Face When I Use Tor?

Practice shows that Tor isn’t 100% safe. Like every other system, it has its weaknesses.

Even though leaks are constantly being patched, you can never be sure whether these patches happen in time. Aside from this, there are more reasons to be worried about the safety that Tor offers. Here are a few.

First of all, Tor users are regularly hacked. This usually isn’t Tor’s fault. Instead, these hacks are possible because the user’s device is insufficiently protected.

This could happen to anyone, which means every user should be aware of it. Criminals, viruses, and other malicious content could be hiding on the web pages you visit — especially when you’re surfing the dark web. Therefore, it’s always important to carefully consider every click.

A second danger is that you could still be tracked online, even when using Tor. Bad exit nodes are one example of how this could happen.

As illustrated in the picture at the top of this page, an exit node is the last stop before you’re connected to a website or page. If the person who controls this node wants to, they could see all the traffic passing through it. If this happens — as was the case with the NSA — your internet data is no longer private. There’s someone else who can directly see which pages you’re visiting.

One thing worth mentioning is that you usually do stay anonymous in such a situation. Even the owner of the exit node isn’t able to trace down the source of the data, because it’s been through at least two other nodes before that.

Can I Use Tor Browser for Anonymous Browsing?

You won’t have to worry too much about people trying to track you online if you only use Tor to browse the regular web. For most governments and other parties, that kind of traffic isn’t relevant enough to trace. Instead, they focus on uncovering illegal activities, some as horrifying as the spreading of child porn on the dark web.

Moreover, there’s no need to be wary of the initial intended audience of Tor either. Tor was initially built to allow for anonymous communication within the US Navy. Some people fear that the US Navy still has secret access to the traffic going through the browser.

This is, however, not at all the case. Because Tor is open-source, official organizations like the Navy won’t be able to hide any secret entrances within the code. Open source means that everyone has access to Tor’s code. An oddity, therefore, would be discovered and eliminated within moments.

In short, if you use the internet for general browsing, you don’t have too much to fear. Any online surveillance very likely won’t focus on you. However, this doesn’t mean you should use Tor without a care in the world. Before you tackle the internet with this browser, you should be aware of the dangers of the dark web.

Beware: Tor and the Dark Web

Tor allows you to access this hidden part of the internet. Other popular browsers, such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox, can’t do this. The dark web is part of the much bigger deep web.

The dark web is unregulated and, therefore, quite fascinating. Sometimes it’s even terrifying. It contains bizarre websites you’d never encounter on the ‘normal’ internet. Among other things, you could come across marketplaces for drugs, weapons, and illegal credit cards.

Not every website on this dark part of the internet is as dodgy as this. Some pages allow people to speak their minds freely without having to fear prosecution from a dictatorial regime. The unregulated nature of the dark web results in a space that holds both the best and the worst of humanity.

Tor gives you access to the entirety of the dark web: it’s internet freedom in a browser. However, this freedom isn’t always safe.

Always be careful when you use Tor to visit the dark web. This part of the internet isn’t monitored, meaning it can be very dangerous for you and your computer. Try not to get caught up in websites that infect your computer with malware. Stay away from websites that concern themselves with illegal activities. And finally, beware of hackers — they’re hiding everywhere.

A Glance at Tor’s Safety Features

Tor is the centerpiece of the internet safety niche. No other browser matches its security features and encryption abilities. But what safety tools does Tor offer exactly?

By default, you don’t need to make many adjustments apart from choosing among Tor’s security levels. The browser automatically applies the following out-of-the-box:

• Blocks fingerprinting and tracking
• Clears history and forms data
• Cloaks your IP address

That’s why you’ll notice that Tor doesn’t launch instantly as other web browsers do. This is due to the tedious but necessary process whereby Tor connects to several circuits that contain relays, layers, proxies, nodes, servers, and bridges. It’s an integral part of the anonymization and encryption process that is there to shroud you in as much privacy and anonymity as possible.

Tor Browser Onion Services

Simply put, an onion service is a website that can only be accessed through the Tor network. Tor Browser provides an option to prioritize onion services when available.

Some websites you can access on a regular browser (such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome) also have onion services. News websites like the New York Times and BBC News have onion services for people who may not be able to access their public websites because of government censorship.

An onion service’s address looks different than a regular link. An onion address is a string of 56 mostly random letters and numbers that ends with “.onion”.

So, for instance, the Freedom of the Press Foundation’s regular website address looks like https://freedom.press but its onion address is http://fpfjxcrmw437h6z2xl3w4czl55kvkmxpapg37bbopsafdu7q454byxid.onion/.

When your Tor browser is on an onion service, you’ll see an icon of an onion beside the website’s URL.

Tor Browser Security Levels

Your browser’s security level setting balances its ability to load website features and protect the user’s security. The fewer website features Tor browser enables, the more secure your surfing session becomes.

To make changes to your security level, simply do the following:

1. Click on the hamburger icon in the top right corner of your browser.
2. Choose “Options.” A new tab should open with the address “about:preferences”.
3. From the menu on the left, pick “Privacy & Security.”
4. Scroll down until you find “Security Levels.”

All three of the security level options are vastly different and result in an equally different browsing experience.

The Standard setting is the default setting and enables all website features.

The Safer setting disables potentially risky website features, which can cause some websites to stop functioning normally. It also blocks JavaScript on non-HTTPS websites and makes WebGL, audio, and video files click-to-play.

The final setting, Safest, is the strictest setting. It blocks all website functions except for fundamental features and basic services. This setting has a harsh effect on media, scripts, and images. JavaScript is also disabled on all sites, which can cause websites to stop functioning completely.

If you are looking for an optimal level of security, then you should stick to the Safest setting. Casual users of Tor should be fine with a more balanced and relaxed setting like Safer.

Integration between Brave Browser and Tor

Brave Browser, initially released in 2019, is a free, open-source privacy-focused web browser that is widely used and well-known as a strong advocate for online privacy and safety. Brave also boasts built-in ad-blocking capabilities, as well as BAT cryptocurrency user rewards.

Privacy aficionados will know that Brave has famously partnered up with Tor by managing some of their connection relays. It has also integrated Tor functionality into its browser.

This feature within the Brave browser is called the Private Tabs with Tor mode, which is currently available only for the desktop version of Brave browser.

Within the desktop version of Brave browser, you’ll find a menu in the top right corner containing the following options:

• New Tab
• New Window
• New Private Window
• New Private Window With Tor

The first two options refer to the regular browsing you likely already do with your default browser. In these modes, anonymity functions and clearing of search history do not take place.

The New private window option is Brave’s own anonymous mode, similar to Google Chrome’s Incognito mode and Mozilla Firefox’s Private window. Using this option does not anonymize you in any way, but it does clear your search history, forms, cookies, and site data.

The New private window with Tor option reroutes your connection through three computers in the Tor network, which anonymizes your activity to a certain extent. You’ll notice a slowing down in your browsing experience if you use this. Keep in mind, however, that using the standalone Tor browser is a more complete and safer browsing option — even Brave says so.

How Do I Safely Use Tor?

There are plenty of dangers waiting for you when you’re considering changing your browser to Tor. These dangers range from privacy risks to more serious attacks on your safety, such as viruses and other forms of malware. In both cases, it’s important to arm yourself as well as possible.

Here are a few tips that’ll help you get there.

1. Use the security level settings within the browser

Turn this option in your settings all the way up to ‘Safest.’ This ensures you remain unscarred if Tor is hacked by means of JavaScript. It also helps to minimize online tracking.

Some websites won’t work as well when you’ve got maximum security enabled, but that’s a relatively small price to pay for protection.

2. Install good antivirus software

Even with the safety settings of the Tor browser optimized, weird things can happen. This is especially dangerous on the dark web.

If you use a trustworthy antivirus program, a lot of these problems can be prevented. Once you have installed good antivirus software, always make sure it’s up to date so you’ve got the best and most recent protection.

3. Use Tor alongside a good VPN

Combining two privacy solutions ensures maximum protection. A VPN encrypts and anonymizes your online data traffic. This means none of your information will be visible, and neither can any of it be traced back to you.

A good VPN, combined with the options the Tor browser offers, provides you with double protection, making surfing a lot safer. Indeed, they’re the most basic tools recommended to users who want to explore the dark web. You can’t have just one or the other; you need both.

For more information, you can consult our a list of our recommended VPNs.

In Conclusion

Like all browsers, Tor has its fair share of weaknesses that needs constant improvement. However, no other browser available can provide you with the safety and encryption you need to browse the dark web. Partnered with sensible browsing habits, a good antivirus, and a reliable VPN, your Tor experience can be completely safe and worry-free.

To learn more about the dark web, visit our resources here:

• The Dark Web Dictionary: Definitions for Everything Dark Net
• The 10 Most Notorious Cases on the Dark Web
• How to Safely Access the Dark Web in 15 steps
• Onion Over VPN Explained: Everything You Need to Know

Is Tor Safe?: Frequently Asked Questions

Have a question about Tor’s safety you’d like a quick answer for? Keep reading to find out more.

Is Tor safe?

Generally speaking, using Tor is safe. In fact, Tor was created to browse the internet more freely, safely, and anonymously, anonymizing your traffic by guiding it through different servers.

However, Tor can be used for some riskier things, as well, such as accessing the dark web. If you want to know what the dangers of browsing the dark web are and how to safely use Tor, read this article.

How can I safely use Tor?

Tor is already an anonymous and safe browser as is. However — especially when using Tor to access the dark web –danger can always strike.

That’s why we recommend taking another precaution: use a VPN. After all, a VPN offers some significant privacy and safety advantages. Learn more about VPNs in this article.

Does Tor have disadvantages?

Tor’s main disadvantage is its slower connection speeds. Tor anonymizes and protects your data traffic quite well — however, to do this, Tor guides your traffic through at least three external servers spread out over the world. This slows down your connection quite a bit.

Priscilla Sherman Author

Chief Editor/Coordinator

Priscilla is VPNOverview’s chief editor and has several years of experience in VPNs and product reviews. She helps coordinate the team and ensures that all content on our website is honest and accessible.