Introduction

These are the 101 - bare basics for accessing that sketchy link you don’t want tied to you (i.e. .cn, .ru). They key is understanding your threat model.

  • Are you concerned about your activity being monitored? -> VPN
  • Are you concerned about being attributed to you? -> TOR
  • Are you concerned about infecting your system? -> VM/Container

Resources

Terms

  • DNS: Domain Name Service
  • VPN: Virtual Private Network
  • TOR: The Onion Router
  • VM: Virtual Machine

How do you connect?

The basic model of an internet connect is: connection

VPN

A VPN (virtual private network) connection will not make you anonymous on the internet, it obfuscates the origin and destination of a connection from intermediaries between the host and destination. It is useful for:

  • censorship evasion (assuming VPNs aren’t also blocked)
  • privacy from your ISP
  • gaining alternate perspective (your connection may appear to be coming from a different country) vpn

Virtual Machine (or Container)

A Virtual Machine (VM) is a computer inside of a computer - essentially it’s a piece of software called a hypervisor that emulates physical hardware, and allows the operating installed to think it’s a real boy.

Some Hypervisor Options (by no means all inclusive):

  • VirtualBox
  • VM-Ware
  • Hyber-V
  • Qemu-KVM

Another option is docker or Docker Desktop for containerized browsing. For most folks, this is a better option - as it’s lighter weight. Another option for containers, if you have dedicated hardware, is Kasm.

A VM can be combined with a VPN for additional isolation. Why would you pick a VM?

  • isolation/compartmentalization - if you want to download something, or visit a site you’re concerned about, or if you don’t want to be linked across all your accounts (isolate banking from shopping from social media).

The Onion Router

The Onion Router (TOR) is an open source project, partially created by the US Government initially. It is made to circumvent censorship, and it’s the gold standard in terms of privacy browsers. It hides its users by creating a universal fingerprint for everyone using TOR.

I’m Sparticus

Here’s how your connection looks: tor

Why would you use TOR?

  • privacy
  • anonymity

Summary

You have options when it comes to privacy. Just understand what it is you’re trying to accomplish:

  • do you want location obfuscation? VPN
  • do you want compartmentalization? VM or Container
  • do you want privacy? TOR