Silk Road forums

Discussion => Security => Topic started by: FreedomOutlaw on May 29, 2013, 02:58 pm

Title: Orbot
Post by: FreedomOutlaw on May 29, 2013, 02:58 pm
Using Orbot abd Firefox w/Proxy mobile on Android tablet.

Thoughts?
Title: Re: Orbot
Post by: tree on May 29, 2013, 03:02 pm
Using tor on android is not very safe, a lot of android apps eavesdrop, some phones take screenshots of all "recent apps" for example so I don't really think it's as safe as using a computer to go on TOR, I personally wouldn't use an android phone to access SR or the forums.
Title: Re: Orbot
Post by: PrincessButtercup on May 29, 2013, 03:38 pm
Using Orbot abd Firefox w/Proxy mobile on Android tablet.

Thoughts?

If your tablet is wi-fi only, or if you can shut down the 3G effectively, you are probably okay so long as you're a light user (not a vendor, not involved in big purchases) - I would certainly recommend connecting via a VPN though for a bit of extra security.

Having said that, the pc/ mac option is better imo.
Title: Re: Orbot
Post by: tree on May 29, 2013, 04:07 pm
A VPN doesn't increase security per se, it only hides that you're using TOR, and it's only beneficial when living in a rural area. Using a VPN sounds less good than using a regular entry guard though because it could deanonymize you more easily than if you're using a random entry guard each time.
Title: Re: Orbot
Post by: FreedomOutlaw on May 29, 2013, 10:41 pm
It is WiFi only, but I use a mobile hotspot from my cell carrier when on the road.

I just updated Firefox for Android and there is a new "Private Browsing" option.

Quote
Firefox won't keep any browser history, search history, download history, web form history, cookies, or temporary internet files. However, files you donload and bookmarks will be kept.

While this device won't have a record of your browsing history, your ISP can still track the pages you visit.

My ISP only knows that I am going to a Tor server, right?


I hadn't thought about the other apps watching or monitoring things I do on the tablet. I'll have to check my Permissions. I'm usually pretty good at filtering out the stuff that wants certain permissions.

I generally use my PC with a Linux distro OS and the Tor browser. Thinking about installing Whonix.

I basically just use the tablet to check out what's going on, never for business. But I don't need to draw attention to myself, if you know what I mean.  ;)

What about Giggerbot for IM? I know people that swear by that. I use Pidgin with OTR from my PC.


Thanks for your input!!!!

Title: Re: Orbot
Post by: tree on May 30, 2013, 12:18 am
First of all I'd recommend using the TOR browser for android by the guardian project, it's called orweb. I'm pretty sure orweb is better since it was made for TOR. And yes, your ISP knows you're accessing TOR, unless you use a VPN, SSH, but it's generally not a big deal if you're in a city and not in a small rural area.

Gibberbot is good but it's really unstable. There's also APG, an open source PGP client for android that works really well, it also works with K-9 mail which is pretty useful.

And even the native apps can read your log data, and probably screenshots taken by your phone which is why it's generally less secure. You should install cyanogen instead of the regular android for added security and use things like privacy guard, firewall, etc. to be a little more secure.

Using whonix over linux is the way to go, it's one of the most secure setups you can get!
Title: Re: Orbot
Post by: nuclearDelta on May 30, 2013, 04:05 am
VPN is never a bad idea and is relatively easy to set up, lots of documentation out there for the tech newbies.
Title: Re: Orbot
Post by: PrincessButtercup on May 30, 2013, 10:54 am
It is WiFi only, but I use a mobile hotspot from my cell carrier when on the road.

I just updated Firefox for Android and there is a new "Private Browsing" option.

Quote
Firefox won't keep any browser history, search history, download history, web form history, cookies, or temporary internet files. However, files you donload and bookmarks will be kept.

While this device won't have a record of your browsing history, your ISP can still track the pages you visit.

My ISP only knows that I am going to a Tor server, right?


I hadn't thought about the other apps watching or monitoring things I do on the tablet. I'll have to check my Permissions. I'm usually pretty good at filtering out the stuff that wants certain permissions.

I generally use my PC with a Linux distro OS and the Tor browser. Thinking about installing Whonix.

I basically just use the tablet to check out what's going on, never for business. But I don't need to draw attention to myself, if you know what I mean.  ;)

What about Giggerbot for IM? I know people that swear by that. I use Pidgin with OTR from my PC.


Thanks for your input!!!!

Whonix looks very interesting!

Does anyone know if there are any particular advantages to using Whonix, as compared to Linux Distro >  VPN  > Tor   ??

Thanks.