HELP WITH TOR ANONYMOUS BROWSING, PROXY SETTINGS
AND SETTING YOUR CLOCK AND BROWSER SO TOR FUNCTIONS:

Common Questions:

  • What is a "Proxy"?
  • What is "TOR"?
  • How does TOR protect me?
  • Why do I want it?
  • I am connected! Why can't I get a browser?

WHAT IS IT?

A Proxy allows you to connect to the internet anonymously. Pocket Rocket Linux includes the TOR BROWSER (as the default browser), as well as access to anonymous web sites (anonymous email, browsing, e-commerce, web sites and more).

Originally developed with input from the U.S. Navy Intelligence Department, The TOR Browser is considered the strongest free protection available for average web surfers and even at "Free" is still one of the best protective browsers/networks you can use. The Tor Browser is basically a slimmed-down, secure version of Firefox packaged as Aurora. If you see AURORA at the top of your browser pages, you are using the TOR Browser; a slimmed down, more secure version of Firefox.

That does NOT mean TOR is running. TOR is your "connection" pipeline and the browser is how you view the connection and data coming through the connection. This tutorial shows you how to verify your browser and connection are secure.

WHY USE TOR?

Because TOR encrypts your traffic, using these tools protects you by making it nearly impossible for a Man-In-The-Middle attack. This is when a third-party inserts their PC/Laptop/Router between you and the web sites you are surfing. Once inserted in the "traffic" a Man-In-The-Middle can collect your passwords, login information, USER ID and credit card numbers. You can actually see a hacker get credit card login information in under a minute with this video. WOW!

The TOR Browser uses a global Proxy Network and Encryption to prevent this type of attack by making it "appear" as if you are somewhere else - someone else - by changing your IP address. This might make it appear as if you are in Europe or Asia, even Antarctica, when in fact you are in the U.S.A.

There is a catch. A few web sites figure out something is wrong and may not allow you to log in. There are tutorials at the Tor Website that show you how to get around this problem.

The main feature and the power of TOR is best described by this diagram:

Notice that Alice (i.e. your PC) is connecting to Bob (i.e. Google, MyBank.com etc.) and the data Alice is sending out is encrypted. This weaves its way through the TOR Network:

...until it gets to Bob (a web server on the net). Right before it get to Bob, a TOR Relay unencrypts the data so Bob (i.e. Google) can read the request (i.e. a Google search), and then send data back through the network, which is again encrypted before it gets to Alice. Once Alice receives the data, her TOR Browser unencrypts the message and Alice sees a regular web page (i.e. her search result at google).

The system works so well the U.S. Government asked the TOR Developers to create a "back door hack". Nope: They refused and while TOR could probably be broken by some super-computer powerhouse with a very big budget required to collect data from routers all over the world, its a pretty tough Proxy network to crack and almost impossible for an average or even above-average hacker to break. That includes spyware, viruses, hackers, the U.S. Government (unless they turn a super-computer onto your traffic), or even local law enforcement. TOR makes it virtually impossible for "warrentless wiretapping", protecting your Rights under the U.S. Constitution.

Note: TOR may not protect calls and text sent via skype and other SMS services, or protect your cell phone traffic.

Another TOR advantage is that the Government and Web Sites can't track your movements. Your IP address can be cross referenced to a specific location. Because TOR makes you "appear" to be 10,000 miles away, that tracking disappears. If you are concerned about spyware and government snooping, TOR is for you.

SOME COMMON PROBLEMS:

The bad news: TOR is picky, a little difficult to set up and Firefox - even the Aurora Browser - don't always work with TOR with just one click. Sometimes you have to change a few settings to get it to work correctly, especially if you are in a country like China where web sites are blocked.

TOR and TOR related web sites are commonly blocked in China and other countrie where governments spy on citizens. Someday the TOR browser may even be blocked in the U.S. If so; its built into Pocket Rocket Linux so SHARE YOUR PRL USB FLASH DRIVES with other users!!!

Here are a few common TOR problems, along with solutions:

  1. Loading TOR: The first thing is to check if your browser says AURORA at the top of the page next to the Pocket Rocket Linux CPU, Memory and Date/Time:

If your browser says MOZILLA FIREFOX, try restarting/rebooting and look for AURORA as shown above. If that doesn't work, you need to:
  • Verify your prlprefs file has the line:

var bootdistro="tor"

This file is in the folder /mnt/sdb1/prlsrc/htm/prlprefs.jj (USB Flash Drive installation - hard drive install will use the folder /mnt/sda1/prlsrc/htm/prlprefs.jj or /mnt/hda1/prlsrc/htm/prlprefs.jj etc. The file is called prlprefs.jj and you can open it with an editor, then change the line bootdistro so it looks like it does above.

You also want the line:

var boottype="fast"

You can go to a TERMINAL prompt (big black box on the main menu), and use the command:

editor /mnt/sdb1/prlsrc/htm/prlprefs.jj

...to change these to match this screen shot.

Notice the boottype and bootdistro lines. If these lines are NOT as shown above, someone may have hacked your PRL system and you should probably re-download a fresh copy.

You can also change them to match the lines above and then run /mnt/sdb1/prlsrc/sh/prlmaketgz.sh to re-set your PRL Package with your changes.

Got an Aurora browser? See if your internet is working. Try opening a trusted web site, like Pocket Rocket Linux ( www.pocketrocketlinux.com ) and if that does NOT work, try another web site; for example if you are in China, try RenRen - an approved Chinese web site ( http://renren.com )

Got Internet? Here's the next step:

  • Check your PROXY SETTINGS in Firefox (Aurora):

These are found in the EDIT-PREFERENCES-ADVANCED-NETWORK settings.

Click the ADVANCED NETWORK option

Check AUTO-DETECT

After TOR loads it usually switches to MANUAL

Got your proxy set to AUTO-DETECT? Here's the next step:

  1. Your SYSTEM CLOCK is critical and must be accurate for TOR to function correctly:

We don't know why. It may be to sync your relays or create an encryption formula; who knows? But if its off by even a few seconds, you may not be able to get a TOR connection to work.

PLUS: your system clock should be set to UTC (Greenwich meantime), not your local time. Here are a few methods to do that:

AUTOMATICALLY SET YOUR CLOCK:

Pocket Rocket Linux will automatically attempt to set your system clock to UTC (Universal Time Code / Greenwich Time), when you load the TOR Browser.

The program (script) that does this is prlclock.sh and can be run manually with the command (terminal mode) of:

sh /opt/prldesk/sh/prlclock.sh UTC

However, if your internet or your PC/Laptop are sluggish, this may still be off by a few seconds. The time it takes to:

  1. fetch the time,
  2. format the time, and
  3. set the time

... are almost instant on a fast PC/Laptop, but can lag a few seconds on a slower laptop. This can cause TOR not to work.

If the automatic method doesn't work (TOR does not work or you want to check the time - to the second), try the manual method, below.

This is a pain, but will let you get it right on the money - manually.

    MANUALLY SET YOUR CLOCK:

    • Open a TERMINAL prompt: the big black box on the main menu.

    • Visit a web site with an accurate clock that changes by the second, for example: www.timeanddate.com (World Clock)

    • Scroll down and find UTC (Greenwich) Time.

    • Shrink your browser web page so you can see both the TERMINAL screen and the Clock ticking away.

    • Type the date as in YYYY.MM.DD-HH:MM:SS, for example, type 2012.11.05-20:30:15 which is November 5th, 2012, at 8:30:15 PM.

    • Set this to about 30 to 60 seconds AHEAD of the UTC / Greenwich Mean Time, so you can complete the rest of these steps before the time gets to that place. You can even set it a minute or more in advance if you are a slow typer.

    • Move the arrow to the far left of your text and type:

      sudo date -s

      i.e.

      sudo date -s 2012.11.05-20:30:15

      When you press ENTER the time will be set to the date above. DO NOT press enter until the UTC Greenwich Mean Time is either exactly the same (fast PC and internet), or 1 or 2 seconds BEFORE your time (slower PC and internet).

    Your screen should look about like this, so you can watch the seconds tick off and get ready to set the time at the exact moment required.

Check your work. You can just type date and ENTER, and your current system date will answer back. Do that several times and compare the answer to the UTC / Greenwich Mean Time shown on the World Clock.

If you are off by 1 or 2 seconds (or more), you can try using TOR, but it may not work. For best results, try to get your time - including seconds - to exactly match UTC / Greenwich Mean Time.

Yes, its a pain - but it is required to get TOR to connect to the TOR network.

Got an accurate time? Got your PROXY settings perfect (Auto-Detect) and an Aurora browser running (default when PRL boots)?

Ok, here's the next step. Lets test your TOR Browser and connection.

  1. Click the MORE button and find the TOR Browser - its the little Green Onion in the big MORE menu display.

  • Vidalia will try to establish a connection to the TOR network.

    If it is successful, you will see this:

    and this screen should pop up

    And you can check your work by going to
    www.ip2location.com - which shows this connection as SWEDEN
    (even though the real PC was in the United States)

    And you can cross-check your work by going to
    the Vidalia Log (Messages)

    If you open a browser and see this:

    ...nope...no TOR.

    One of these problems is likely:

    Either you tried to open a browser with PRL
    or you have not established a TOR connection
    or your ISP (internet) is blocking you.

    1. First, Check your Vidalia message log to see if its OK or not.

    2. Next, try using a TOR BRIDGE. These help users in foreign countries that block internet web sites. To find public bridge addresses, send mail to bridges@bridges.torproject.org with the line "get bridges" by itself in the body of the mail. You'll need to send this request from a gmail account, otherwise its too easy for an attacker to make a lot of email addresses and learn about all the bridges.

      Almost instantly, you'll receive a reply that includes:

      Here are your bridge relays:

      bridge 60.16.182.53:9001
      bridge 87.237.118.139:444
      bridge 60.63.97.221:443

      Once you've received the email with bridge information, you can continue the Vidalia configuration steps and add your bridges:

      Note: Do NOT use the Pocket Rocket Menu to open a TOR Browser.

      The local PRL Menu is NOT a TOR protected browser since it does not go out onto the Internet and does not use the Proxy settings. When you are connected to a TOR network, TOR/Vidalia should open a protected browser automatically.

      If TOR is unable to establish a connection, the TOR LOG will have some messages, for example - a time/clock problem or some other issue.

      All this "Tinkering" can be a very frustrating part of using TOR. You don't have to use TOR - its optional - but you should.


      If you disable TOR:

      • Booting will take longer while Flash drivers load.

      • You will be surfing the web without any protection.

      • Your location and IP Address will be tracked.

      • Web sites you visit can more easily hack your system.

      • Your local ISP can watch all your traffic easily in their logs.

      • The forms you fill out - banking - email - everything - will not be protected. You will be wide open to a hack attack ...

      ...which is the way most Windows users
      are today - unprotected.

      Watch the VIDEO (top of this page) if you want to know just how fast you can be hacked!

      Why use Pocket Rocket Linux at all?

      • Windows users are easy targets for hackers. At least Pocket Rocket Linux is immune to viruses and hacks that might find their way to your hard drive: all Linux packages are - by default.

      • Pocket Rocket Linux runs much faster than Windows and in general, is easier to configure and add to.

      • Most software for Pocket Rocket Linux is free and open source, whereas most Windows software costs money.

      • If you use TOR - you get the best of both worlds: 100% virus free, plus hacker/Man-In-The-Middle attack protection.

        This makes it extremely difficult for hackers to gain access to your secure data.

      • If you are an internet surfer in a country that blocks your access, Pocket Rocket Linux with TOR can solve your problems.