Residents faced government blocking in 2016, according to the latest FOTN report from Freedom House 37 countries of the world and that's not counting the states that did not participate in the study.
But in almost all of these countries, there are many people who can go to prohibited sites without any problems. The authorities of most states turn a blind eye to anonymizers.
But there are a few exceptions, one of which could theoretically be Russia. A few days ago, there was even news on the Internet that a bill was submitted to the State Duma to ban Tor and VPN.
Many Russians reacted to this news with a question: "And how are the authorities going to implement this?" To answer it, let's turn to the experience of countries in which there is already a war against VPN and Tor.
Fighting method # 1. Block specific IP addresses
Tor and VPN blocking laws have already come into force in neighboring Belarus and Kazakhstan. In practice, they are simple to execute: the addresses of Tor entry nodes, VPN providers' servers, and sites with information about blocking bypassing are blacklisted and blocked by the providers.
At first glance, this is pretty pointless. After all, instead of blocked public Tor nodes and VPN servers, new ones appear.
The effectiveness of this method can be judged by the dynamics of the number of Tor users in Belarus. Over the year, the number of "regular" connections to Tor (downloaded the browser and launched it without changing the settings) decreased three times from 9000 to 3000 users per day.
But the number of people who connect to Tor through "bridges" (entry nodes, whose addresses are not in the public domain) has increased dramatically. If before the law against anonymizers, a couple of hundred people used this method, then in 2017, on average, about 2,000 per day.
Now let's compare the total number of Tor users in Belarus (the number of direct connections + the number of bridges to Tor) before and after blocking the entry nodes. In 2015-2016, there were, on average, just over 9,000 daily, and in 2017 there were about 5,000.
As you can see, even this clumsy blocking method has an effect. Those who really need to continue to use Tor anyway. But almost half of the people were either afraid of the ban, or simply did not bother with the bridging settings.
Fighting method # 2. Intelligent traffic analysis and blocking system
In China, issues of Internet censorship were taken up in the late 90s and in 2003 they created the "Golden Shield" for total control over information on the Internet. Since then, the Great Firewall of China has become a complex and multifunctional system.
Thanks to the unique DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) traffic analysis technology, the Golden Shield is able (not always) to detect VPN / Tor traffic and block the communication channel over which it is transmitted, and at the same time make exceptions for license holders to use VPN from the Ministry of Industry and Informatization.
But this technology is imperfect, like the entire Golden Shield. Since 2012, there has been periodic news about the massive blocking of VPN providers in China, but the local population still has the opportunity to visit prohibited sites.
The fact is that a few days after such incidents, there are reports that someone from VPN providers has already come up with a new method of DPI masking and is working again.
Such efficiency is fully justified. After all, a market of 90 million Chinese VPN users (2014) is worth fighting for.
Fighting method # 3. Blocking all "unnecessary" network protocols
This method is used in closed and conservative Turkmenistan, where the IT infrastructure and communication with the outside world are paid a minimum of attention (unlike China), and the level of Internet censorship is only slightly inferior to North Korea. The paragraph below is hard to believe, but the information in it is confirmed by several sources at once.
From the comments on linux.forum.org, habrahabr.ru and the Roskomsvoboda website, you can find out that in Turkmenistan in recent months, some users stupidly do not work with many network protocols necessary for VPN and other anonymizers: OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP, IPsec , Tor. And some providers blocked SSH and HTTPS.
But for some readers of our site from Turkmenistan, the VPN works without problems.
Fighting method # 4. Disconnecting a country from the Internet
No Internet - no Vpn and Tor ;-) This method is still used only in North Korea, where access to the World Wide Web requires a good reason and personal permission from the head of state, and for the broad masses there is an internal Gwangmyon network.
Is it possible to just take and disconnect from the Internet a country that already has tens of millions of Internet users?
Such a case took place on January 27-28, 2011 in Egypt (the country's population is about 80 million, Internet penetration at that time is 25%). The government simply called all Internet and mobile providers one by one, asking them to turn off the Internet.
The graph of the disappearance from the network of Egyptian providers clearly shows that the whole process took about an hour and a half... Only one provider remained in working order, which ensured the availability of the stock exchange and servers for government needs.
Also, cases of sudden temporary disconnection of an entire country from the Internet took place in Libya, Syria (the result of a hacker attack on the country's largest provider) and Sudan.
Struggle method # 5. Penalties
Some countries use IP blocking and traffic filtering in conjunction with mild psychological pressure.
In August 2016, news emerged that the UAE would now impose jail terms and fines for up to half a million dollars for using a VPN. But the real application of this law of information was not found.
In February 2017, a massive 14-month campaign against VPNs began in China, and in March fines of up to 15,000 yuan ($ 2,000) were imposed for using the technology without a government license. How they will fine 100 million people is somewhat difficult to imagine :-)
So can VPN and Tor be banned?
Completely ban only in combination with a huge blow to the economy and the severing of most ties with the outside world (see paragraphs about Turkmenistan and North Korea), or by investing huge sums of money in the creation of a much more perfect analogue of the Chinese "Golden Shield".
But significantly reducing the number of users is easy.
You just need to organize a couple of obstacles when using locks (remember the example with configuring Tor in Belarus from the first paragraph). And to consolidate the effect, you can scare with a fine or prison.
Recently, interest in the anonymous network has been constantly growing. And there are many reasons for this ..
"Democratic reforms" in the world are in full swing. The governments of almost all countries now sincerely consider themselves entitled to decide where their citizens go, what to watch and what to read. Bunches of laws, "with the best intentions" stamped out by dumas, councils and parliaments, increasingly sharply define the boundaries of reservations, within which now only the existence of users in the global network is possible.
“You don't go there - go here. And then the head will snow - you will be completely dead "©" Gentlemen of Fortune ".
Another straining moment is the unceasing revelations of Edward Snowden, from which it is clear that the total surveillance by the special services of everyone and everyone has already acquired a truly worldwide scale. Of course, the overwhelming majority of people have nothing to hide, but it is extremely unpleasant to realize that you are under the constant cap of special forces, your every step is monitored and recorded, and someone regularly tries to dig deeper into your “dirty laundry” with their mischievous little hands. And it absolutely does not give a damn for what purpose he does it, whether he has good intentions or not.
Why is it needed, this Tor?
More and more people are trying to keep their private life inviolable from the long nose of the special services. More and more people are trying to get rid of the "paternal care" of officials from the state and want to exercise their constitutional right to independently decide where to go, what to choose, where to look and what to do.
And here the anonymous Tor network comes to their aid. Since it can provide an individual individual with a significant reduction in obsessive attention, at the same time removing almost all restrictions on movement on the World Wide Web. Tor will hide your online identity, hide everything that you did on the Internet and where you went.
In addition, the Tor network has another small practical bonus. It quite often allows you to bypass such an annoying thing as banning by IP on various sites. A trifle, but nice.
What is Tor and how does it work
So what is the Tor anonymous network. Tor is an abbreviation for The Onion Router (not knowing bourgeois, but curious - see the translation in). If anyone is interested in tedious technical details, let them stomp on Tor's Wikipedia page and figure it out. I would like a little simpler - to the same page on Lurkomorye. I will try to quickly explain "on the fingers."
Although this network operates on the basis of a regular Internet, in it all data does not go directly from you to the server and back, as in a "big" network, but everything is run through a long chain of special servers and is repeatedly encrypted at each stage. As a result, the final recipient, that is, you, for the sites becomes completely anonymous - instead of your real address, an absolutely left IP is displayed, which has nothing to do with you. All your movements become impossible to track, as well as what you did. And interception of your traffic also becomes completely useless.
This is in theory. In practice, sometimes not everything is so rosy. But we'll talk about all the possible problems a little later. You are already tired of the long and boring introduction, right? Can't wait to put on and try this miracle as soon as possible? Well, let's go!
Let's start using Tor?
Tor is a rather complex device in terms of installation and configuration. And in not so ancient times, connecting an ordinary "kettle" to it became a task by no means trivial. However, things are much simpler today. Smart and kind people took all the necessary modules, collected them in a coordinated pile, set everything up as needed and stuffed it into a single package. This package is called. And after downloading, all the fuss with it comes down to the usual unpacking and subsequent stomping on the "I want Tor!" Button. And Tor appears.
Of course, computer geeks and those who have nothing to do or want to amuse their CSV, as before, can download all the necessary modules separately and gnaw on the multi-page technical "Kama Sutra", trying to connect all this into a single whole, and somehow set up and run the resulting construction. Let's wish them good luck, and we ourselves will do a more rewarding job.
I advise on this tab to pay attention to the link " Checking Tor Internet Settings". Clicking on it will help you finally make sure that you are in fact now on the anonymous network. By the way, there is also a link to a quick guide.
So, you are now invisible. However, until your head is completely dizzy from anonymity and imaginary impunity, I hasten to spoil your mood a little. Just like that, solely out of personal harm.
I just have to tell you about some of the "pitfalls" of the Tor network, so that in your search for adventure in your "lower hemispheres" you do not bruise them against these stones.
A bit of security in Tor
So what Tor can't protect against. Tor cannot protect a person from their own stupidity. If a person has only sawdust in his cervical growth instead of brains, or he is purposefully looking for problems for himself, then he will definitely find these problems. And no Tor will help here. Learn to use your brain and take elementary care. Tor also can't protect you from chatty programs on your computer. Any plug-in or add-on in the browser can "multiply by zero" all your anonymity at one moment. And the browser itself ...
That is why a specially doped version of Ognelis is used in the package we are considering. By the way, do you need to remind anyone else that Windows itself is one huge Trojan and a spyware? ( Linuxoids can breathe freely here - their childish problems of "vents" do not bother them even once). Tor also can't protect you from viruses and hackers. Well, he is not intended for this! Get yourself a normal antivirus and firewall, set them up correctly and learn how to use them - and sleep well.
The main problems of the Tor anonymous network
Okay, I'll end my lyrical digression and go directly to the problems of the Tor network itself. The first thing that catches your eye is speed. Page loading speed. Although the words "speed" and "rushes" are clearly inappropriate here. Pages load much slower than usual. This is the price of anonymity. The page you requested, before getting to your browser, hangs for a long time between servers around the world. However, it should be admitted that the situation is now much better than a couple of years ago, and it is quite possible to live with such a speed. If you get used to it a little. In spite of everything, the network is developing and getting stronger.
Special services
Another - and, perhaps, the main - problem of the Tor network is the secret services. They just can't come to terms with the fact that crowds of users freely and uncontrollably roam the network without their "all-seeing eye". And they are constantly making all kinds of attempts to change the situation. Attempts are very different, even frankly criminal. Before viral, hacker attacks and hacking, targeted infection of software and servers with Trojans. Though infrequently, sometimes their efforts end successfully for them, And whole segments fall out of the “onion” network, and a “pativan” leaves for some of the most unhappy (or the stupidest, or the most arrogant). But you're not going to do something criminal in Tor, are you? This is all to ensure that you do not relax too frankly and constantly remember that Tor is not a panacea, and any anonymity is relative. And if you have already decided to gamble with the state, then the question of your capture is only a matter of time.
Officials
In addition to special services representing the interests of states, government officials are often a problem for the anonymous Tor network. The desire to “keep and not let go” in people who have seized power is ineradicable. Occasionally, in relation to some things, this desire is completely justified and fair, but more often it is not. And a bit of freedom given by Tor acts on them like a red rag. In some countries, the Tor network is already banned. Legally. There was such an attempt in Russia. So far only in the draft version. Whether this project will become law and when, I do not know. At the moment, the Tor network in Russia works without restrictions. Banned - there will be something else instead. I will not lay out literally folk wisdom on this score here, but I will say a little softer and more streamlined: "For every action there is a reaction."
Hackers
Another problem for Tor is hackers. Some of them are ideological. and some are simply stoned to *** (sorry for the non-parliamentary expression). From time to time, most often during the spring or autumn exacerbation, they organize "crusades", trying to "cleanse the world of filth." At the same time, the opinion of the world itself does not bother them at all. It seems to them that they have the right to decide for everyone. Not so long ago, there was a "campaign" against, shall we say, unconventional porn on the Tor network. The case in this case is quite pious. However, along with porn, a bunch of completely white sites were cut. Just like that, in passing. And who said that next time they will be limited to only this? So know, if your favorite “onion” site suddenly stopped opening, then it is quite possible that these are the actions of one of these with inflamed brains.
Infected files
The problem with the infected files of the Tor Browser itself is closely related to hackers. And here the ears of various special services often peep through, trying to plant their Trojan instead of an anonymous network. For example, in App Store still offer to download the infected Tor Browser. Moreover, the App Store administration was notified of this repeatedly in the fall. However, the Trojan is still there. Strange situation and strange slowness. True, all the strangeness disappears instantly when you remember that the tender and reverent friendship between Apple and the US NSA is growing stronger day by day. So download the files of Tor itself exclusively from the official site, or our engine, in fact, will also give you the file directly from the official site.
Tor minor flaws
The overview of more or less serious problems of the Tor network is over. Let's move on to minor troubles. I have already spoken about periodically disappearing sites. Now about the Russian sites in this anonymous network. They are few. But they already exist, and there are more and more of them. And even on many foreign-speaking forums there are sections for Russians. So where to wander and with whom you will find there to communicate. However, the main language in the Tor network is still English, and all the tastiest things in this network are in bourgeois. Although at your service there are always all kinds of dictionaries and.
Further. It should be remembered that the Tor network is fundamentally not moderated or controlled by anyone. Sometimes some kind of control is found on individual sites when their owners set the rules for their visitors. But not more. Therefore, you may well stumble upon things that shock you. Be ready for this. Also in this network there are various thugs, outright schizoids, maniacs and other freaks. There are plenty of them in the "big" internet, but in the anonymous network they feel more comfortable and are not particularly shy. Their percentage is much less than officials from the authorities are trying to broadcast to us, but they are there. And if you have minor children, I recommend keeping them away from Tor.
And in general, I strongly demand that the Internet be protected from children! This will only benefit the Internet. This will make him much safer.
Well, in general, he told all the horror stories. Let me just remind you of viruses that Tor will not protect you from - protect yourself. Well, about anonymity again - it never happens one hundred percent, use your gray matter more often.
And for dessert, a small list of "onion" sites, so to speak, for overclocking.
Goodies and bonuses - a small list of onion sites
By the way, if you haven't understood yet, then in the Tor Browser you can open both ordinary sites of the "big" Internet, bypassing some inconveniences, and special sites of the anonymous "onion" network. These sites are located in a special pseudo-domain zone .onion (carefully look at the address). They do not open from the usual Internet. Generally. Only from a running and connected Tor Browser.
- Tor Wiki (http://torwikignoueupfm.onion/) - Directory of Tor links.
- The Hidden Wiki (http://kpvz7ki2v5agwt35.onion/wiki/index.php/Main_Page) is the first site every new Tor user should visit. Contains links to almost all resources of the onion network. Often unavailable due to the huge influx of visitors.
- The Uncensored Hidden Wiki (http://zqktlwi4fecvo6ri.onion/wiki/index.php/Main_Page) - mirror of The Hidden Wiki. Moderation is minimal.
- TORDIR (http://dppmfxaacucguzpc.onion/) - a large catalog of onion sites.
- Tor Search (http://kbhpodhnfxl3clb4.onion/), Torgle (http://zw3crggtadila2sg.onion/torgle), TORCH (http://xmh57jrzrnw6insl.onion/) and The abyss (http://nstmo7lvh4l32epo.onion/) - search engines on the Tor network, at least one of them works.
- Flibusta (http://flibustahezeous3.onion/) - a mirror of the famous library in the "onion" network (language RU).
- OnionNet (http://onionnetrtpkrc4f.onion/) - IRC network. The main language of communication is English. Various channels for discussion, up to illegal. Additional servers: ftwircdwyhghzw4i.onion, renko743grixe7ob.onion, nissehqau52b5kuo.onion.
- vTOR “e (http://da36c4h6gxbckn32.onion/) - social network. interest clubs, blogs, forum.
- RAMP (http://ramp2bombkadwvgz.onion/) is the largest trading platform in the Russian-speaking segment of the Tor network today. Recently, there have been a lot of complaints about the actions of the administration and the frequent cases of scammers. (So \u200b\u200bdon't click your beak and keep your eyes and ears open.) This is the largest selection on the web. And the highest prices.
- RUForum (http://ruforumqewhlrqvi.onion/) - a Russian-language forum with communication and sale of everything that is not allowed. Recently closed to outsiders. Registration is paid - $ 10.
- Amberoad (http://amberoadychffmyw.onion/) is one of the largest shadow trading platforms.
- Assassination Market (http://assmkedzgorodn7o.onion/) - a tote on guessing the date of death of all bad people. Anyone can add a person to the list or increase the bid on existing positions. Barack Obama and Ben Bernanke are currently in the lead.
- Hack IT (http://tuwrg72tjmay47uv.onion/) is a live service for hiring hackers.
- WikiLeaks (http://zbnnr7qzaxlk5tms.onion/) - I hope there is no need to explain what it is? Mirror in the Onion Net (ENG).
- Onion Portal (http://ximqy45aat273ha5.onion/) - guide to the onion network (RU).
- http://k4bmdpobhqdguh2y.onion/ - blog about new hidden network services (ENG).
- Lukochan (http://562tqunvqdece76h.onion/Lukochan/) - large board (ENG, RU).
- Silk Road (http://silkroadvb5piz3r.onion) is another large anonymous trading platform (ENG).
- Keys open doors (http://wdnqg3ehh3hvalpe.onion/) - site about hacking game consoles and all kinds of gadgets (ENG).
- http://n2wrix623bp7vvdc.onion/hackingservices.html - a resource about hacking social networks, etc. (ENG).
All sorts of political-revolutionary-guerrilla resources are not included here on purpose. Whoever needs it, he will find it himself.
What is Tor?
Word Tor is the abbreviated name of the organization that developed and maintains Thor, whose full name in English is "".
The Onion Router (TOR) is a non-profit organization that operates a network designed to protect privacy and increase Internet anonymity by masking Internet traffic. The Thor program masks your real location and does not give the owners of the online addresses that you visit while surfing the opportunity to collect information about you and your habits.
What is Tor used for?
Tor is used by people who are concerned about their privacy. Number of users Tor increased sharply after the high-profile revelations of Edward Snowden, which spoke of the widespread abuse of state structures of their powers. In addition, Thor is actively used by journalists, users who want to avoid government censorship, entrepreneurs and traders in underground markets. The Twilight Zones of the Internet, known as the "Dark Internet" or "Deep Web" and .onion web addresses that are not indexed by standard search engines - can only be reached through Tor.
How does Thor work?
To hide your traffic and your true location and IP address, Tor uses servers and network nodes that are maintained by volunteers instead of giving you a direct route to the websites you visit, sending your traffic through a network of virtual tunnels. Instead of sending data packets directly to the server, the information is sent like a ping-pong ball through a chain of network relays. Thus, Tor helps you hide your digital fingerprints from unwanted eyes.
Does Tor encrypt my data and traffic?
The answer to this question is simple - no. Tor is just a traffic anonymizer. It does not encrypt traffic, but using virtual private networks (VPNs) in addition to Tor, as well as a good habit of staying away from HTTP-based websites, can bring good results. If you want more security, get used to using the HTTPS protocol whenever possible.
Do I have to pay to use Tor?
Tor is a free and open source system, and the number of programmers working to keep the system moving forward is compatible with the number of Windows, Mac, Linux / Unix, and Android developers.
How do I use Tor?
You just have to for PC and. The software is already configured and ready to use, but since the network redirects traffic indirectly, your surfing speed can be noticeably slower.
How to access. onion addresses?
The "white web" is the area of \u200b\u200bthe Internet that is indexed by search engines, including Google. At the bottom we have the "deep web" and "dark web", the latter of which is often associated with illegal operations.
Onion URLs are part of the deep web and in order to access them, you must know the 16-digit code instead of the standard URL. You can find these through dedicated search engines, forums, and invitations, and some companies, such as Facebook, give out themselves. onion addresses specifically for Tor users.
How can I stay safe?
If you are going to use Tor there are a few basic things you need to understand. internet safety guidelines... As a first step, disable all plugins and software that might open you up to attack, above of course Flash and Java.
You should keep in mind that Tor does not relieve you of operating system vulnerabilities, and given how many flaws there are in Windows or Mac software, you can use an open source operating system (for example, one of the Linux versions) in order to stay as protected as possible.
Anonymity does not guarantee protection from the fool
Law enforcement agencies have a variety of ways to monitor your activities, so don't consider yourself 100% secure just because you are using Tor. If you visit domains prohibited in your country, buy or sell illegal goods, or download apparently prohibited content, Tor will not be able to protect you.
So should you use Tor?
If you need to anonymize your traffic, do it, but for tasks that need high Internet speed, for example, distributing or downloading via torrent, Tor is not the best solution. In addition, if you want to use the network for illegal activities, you must understand that you are doing so at your own risk.
Tor should not be viewed as the ultimate and only solution for network security - this is just one aspect of it. VPN and the transition to HTTPS are also important components to protect your privacy and your data.
The article was written on the basis of publications in a popular computer magazine
The Tor network appears to remain intact. At least according to an internal NSA report from 2012, although this organization had the ability in certain cases to disclose the ownership of certain nodes, in general they are not able to disclose any node upon request. Yes, and these disclosures occurred by chance, such as an error in the Firefox browser, which was included in the tor bundle and the like. When used correctly, Tor is unlikely to be disclosed.2. Tor is not only used by criminals
Contrary to popular belief, Tor is used not only by criminals, pedophiles and other bad terrorists. This, to put it mildly, is far from the case. Activists of all kinds, journalists, just people who love privacy make up the portrait of Tor users. Personally, I am very impressed by the position of the Tor developers answering the question "what, do you have something to hide?" phrase: "No, it's not a secret - it's just none of your business."And criminals have a wide array of tools, from identity changes to stolen devices or network accesses, from botnets to Trojan viruses. By using and promoting Tor, you are no more helping criminals than by using the Internet.
3. Tor has no hidden loopholes or backdoors
Rumor has it that Tor was created by the military, and they deliberately made themselves hidden loopholes in it. Although Tor was originally funded by the US Navy, its code has been publicly available since then, and many cryptographers have studied its source. Everyone can study them. And now enthusiasts are working on the project, champions of privacy and anonymity on the Internet.There is also information that the US intelligence services hold about 60% of all nodes - but this is most likely distorted information that about 60% of funding is allocated by the United States in the form of grants.
4. There were no cases of condemnation of anyone for supporting the relay node
True, in Europe, in this luminary of human rights and legal paradise, or rather in Austria, just the other day the person who held the weekend node was accused of complicity, since traffic of illegal content passed through this node. So the danger of keeping an exit node is obvious. Well, the relay nodes should be out of danger, since they do not know according to the network operation scheme where the request came from, where it is directed, or what traffic they transmit. And it is almost impossible to prove the traffic passing through the relay.5. Tor is easy to use.
Many people think that Tor is something difficult for hackers and computer geniuses. In fact, the developers have already simplified its use as much as possible - just download the Tor Browser, and when you start it, you will automatically use the Tor network. No settings, command line commands or anything else.6. Tor is not as slow as you think
A couple of years ago, the network was slow. Now the access to the sites occurs with quite acceptable speed. Yes, you cannot download torrents through Tor - both slowly and harmful to the network. But you can conduct any other habitual activity without irritation.7. Tor is not a panacea
When using Tor, you still need to follow a few rules and understand a little about how it works, what it can do and what it cannot, so as not to nullify all its efforts. If you're using the Tor Browser and logging into Facebook, there isn't much point in that. Understand how it works and use it wisely.Personally, I am a supporter of preserving privacy and anonymity on the Internet. I advocate and urge everyone to support the Tor project as necessary and useful, especially in light of the sad events with the new laws "against the Internet". Support the Tor network. Install a relay for yourself - if you can allocate at least 50 kb / s for Tor in your channel, this will be enough.
Why I advocate privacy and the possibility of anonymity. After all, I'm a law-abiding citizen and I have nothing to hide, right?
Well, I can personally answer that with the following arguments:
- i may have nothing to hide, but what I do is none of your business
- times change, people change, and laws change. I wrote something in the comments, and a couple of years after the adoption of another gorgeous law, it suddenly became possible to rank as extremist statements
- i do not believe that all people who try to follow my actions are crystal honest and loyal servants of Themis. That no one will try to use the information received for their own dirty selfish purposes.
It will be interesting to know your opinion on privacy and anonymity,% username%
The Russian became a defendant in a criminal case for reports of terrorist attacks. He says he just went to blocked sites through Tor
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In October 2016, the administration of one of the regional centers in Russia received an email about the impending terrorist attack. In a message received by the mayor's office on October 17 at 2:20 am, it was said about an alleged explosion in one of the city's shopping centers. From the ruling of the local district court (the text of the document is at Meduza's disposal) it follows that the threat of an explosion was qualified as a knowingly false report of a terrorist attack. On October 19, a criminal case was opened on the fact of this message.
The FSB is investigating. The decree says: FSB officers found that the message about the impending explosion was sent from IP 163.172.21.117 (according to the RIPE IP address database, the address is registered in Paris). The special services managed to find out that this IP is in fact a "service for hiding and spoofing of addresses", that is, one of the active exit nodes of the Tor network, which began working in September 2016.
The person involved in the criminal case was a resident of a Russian city who used the French Tor exit node on the night of October 17. The FSB established that on October 17, from 1:30 to 3:00, a connection was made to the IP address 163.172.21.117 from the city in which a false report of the terrorist attack was recorded. The user who could do this has been identified; in the case he passes as a witness. Soon the FSB withdrew from the case, it follows from the court documents.
The person involved in the criminal case really uses Tor.
He himself told Meduza that he had several anonymity services installed on his computer, including Tor. According to him, he uses them to enter sites blocked in Russia; most often these are torrent trackers and anime sites. The defendant does not remember whether he used Tor on the night of October 17, but insists that he did not send any reports of terrorist attacks. He says that at the same time, thousands of other Tor users could use the same exit node, one of them could send a message about the terrorist attack.
During the search, all equipment was seized from the defendant in the case.
He told Meduza that on December 29, 2016, at about 19:00, police officers came to him with a search: “I was given a court order. Let's go rummaging in my things. Then they began to seal the technique. The rest of the rooms looked purely visual. As a result, they took away all the equipment: two computers, all phones, all flash drives, even a non-working film camera. They even wanted to take the monitor, but then changed their minds. " On the same day he was interrogated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. “They asked if anonymizers were installed on the computer, for what purposes, what sites did you go to,” he says.
He was also read a letter about the terrorist attack, sent to the city administration, and asked if he had written it. According to him, the letter was about "complete madness." The person involved in the case, in a conversation with Meduza, recounted the contents of the message as follows: “I am on my way to your city. Soon everything will fly up here, there will be only blood and pieces of meat around. "
Eight months after the search, the case lay motionless.
The person involved in the criminal case tells Meduza that since December 29 he has not been summoned for interrogation, and has not been informed of any results of the investigative actions. However, he suggests that the police can change his status and transfer from witnesses to accused. “I am apolitical, I am not campaigning for [opposition leader Alexei] Navalny. In fact, I am actually nobody. I have never even had administrative offices. I'm just a heck, I always sit at home and do not stick out anywhere. I am the ideal target with no money or connections to hang it on someone else. I will not be able to oppose them with anything, ”he emphasizes. The regional MIA refused to speak with Meduza on the phone about the progress of the investigation.
On August 15, the person involved in the criminal case himself came to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the interrogator in the case and inquired about the progress of the investigation. The police told him that the results of the examination were not yet ready, but they promised that it would be completed by early September.
On October 17, 2016, the administrations of several Russian cities at once received emails about the explosions. Among other things, messages of the same type, as follows from the court order, were sent through the websites of the administrations of St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad and Yaroslavl. Police officers found out that when sending a report about the terrorist attack through the website of the Yekaterinburg administration, their author used the address [email protected]; the form for sending a message on the administration website did not require any confirmation of the email address - and any user could enter and use any (even someone else's) address. When sending electronic requests to the administrations of other listed cities (including the city where the hero of this material lives), you can also use any mail without confirmation. Exactly what e-mail addresses were used in other cities, the court order does not say.
After checking the email address in the case, a second person appeared.
mail [email protected] was registered using a private paid server, which, according to the investigation, belongs to the company "Cloudpro", which rents the servers. The Interior Ministry officers learned that the server was paid for from Yandex.Wallet, linked to the mobile number of Megafon's subscriber, Muscovite Dmitry Chechikov. The court's ruling states that the payment was made precisely for registering a mailbox, but most likely it refers to services for renting a server that was used as a VPN when registering a mailing address.
The court ruling, which Meduza has at its disposal, says that back in 2000, Chechikov "attempted to knowingly commit a false report of an act of terrorism" by sending emails in Vladimir (it is not known whether he was punished). The first person involved in the case tells Meduza that he does not know Chechikov. Chechikov himself refused to talk to Meduza.
On July 30, Vladimir Putin signed a law banning services to bypass blocking. The Russian President signed a package of amendments to the legislation that prohibit the use of funds to bypass blockages. It will come into effect in November 2017. Thanks to them, the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be empowered to find services (anonymizers, VPNs and other means to bypass blocking) that help users gain access to websites blocked in Russia. If the owners of such services do not prohibit access to information prohibited in Russia, they will also be blocked.
Quite a confusing story. Can you briefly explain again what happened?
1. In October 2016, someone sent messages to the administrations of several Russian cities at once about the impending explosions, including St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad and Yaroslavl.
2. Apparently, in all cases the attackers used means to maintain anonymity.
3. We know about one criminal case opened following these events; there are two persons involved. One of them got into the case because he was using Tor at the moment when a message about an impending explosion came to the administration of his city. The second is because of the email address specified when sending a false report about the terrorist attack to the Yekaterinburg administration.
4. Simultaneously with the first person involved in the criminal case, the same Tor exit node could be used by thousands of people from all over the world - anyone could send a message. In the case of the second person involved: the sites of city administrations do not check the entered e-mail, users can indicate someone else's or just fictional.
At the request of the hero, "Medusa" does not indicate his name and the name of the city in which he lives.
