![]() AND SETTING YOUR CLOCK AND BROWSER SO TOR FUNCTIONS:
Common Questions:
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.
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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:
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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: 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:
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Check AUTO-DETECT
After TOR loads it usually switches to MANUAL
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:
However, if your internet or your PC/Laptop are sluggish, this may still be off by a few seconds. The time it takes to:
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.
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.
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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.
If it is successful, you will see this:
![]()
and this screen should pop up
And you can check your work by going to
And you can cross-check your work by going to
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
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