New Browser Lets Web Surfers Hide Online

By Jay Wrolstad

Hacktivismo has modified Mozilla's open source Portable Firefox browser to run through the TOR (The Onion Router) network and make an anonymous connection between the user and the Web site being visited. Anaylsts state that it can be used to protect the identities of political refugees or those trafficking in child pornography and other illegal activities.

A new Web browser called Torpark that lets users navigate the Internet without leaving a trace is now available for download from a consortium of would-be hackers, security experts, and human rights activists with an eye on boosting online security.

The group called Hacktivismo has modified Mozilla's open source Portable Firefox browser to run through the TOR (The Onion Router) network and make an anonymous connection between the user and the Web site being visited. The free Torpark browser can be stored on/run from a USB memory stick, and leaves no tracks behind in the browser or computer.

Typically, when you log onto the Internet, a unique IP address is assigned to manage the computer's identity. Each site that is visited can see and take down that IP address, providing a way for government investigators to monitor Web activity and to pinpoint a user's identity.

Layers of Protection

Torpark uses a series of servers in the Onion Router network to change an IP address seen by the Web site every few minutes to prevent "eavesdropping" and hide the source of an Internet request, according to Hacktivismo. Thus, someone surfing the Web from a home PC in Ghana, for example, may appear to be using a university computer in Germany with servers on the TOR network.

There are a few caveats, however. The information passing from the PC into the TOR network is encrypted, shielding it from Internet service providers. And while Torpark hides the Internet connection, any data moving between the TOR network and Web sites is not encrypted.

Users are therefore advised not to divulge their usernames or password on sites that do not offer a secure login and session. Such locations are indicated by a golden padlock at the bottom of the Torpark browser screen.

Pros and Cons

"There are some legitimate cases for anonymous browsing, as well as some illegitimate cases," said Andrew Jaquith, a senior analyst at Yankee Group. "People want to protect their privacy while surfing the Web, and Torpark lets them do that," he said. "It also protects the identities of political refugees and those who are trying to evade Internet firewalls set up in countries like China."

But the other side of the coin is that there are individuals, such as those trafficking in child pornography and other illegal activities, who can hide from the authorities with anonymous browsing, Jaquith said. "This would make it a lot harder to track such people."

The analyst suggested that the strategy employed by Hacktivismo is viable, noting that the group includes hackers, such as those in the Cult of the Dead Cow collective, who are well versed in creating key logging tools used to track Web surfing activity. "It appears they are bringing some legitimacy to their work by collaborating with security experts and political activists," said Jaquith.

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