Feranmi Akeredolu - page 5

Feranmi Akeredolu has 58 articles published.

Feranmi is a freelance contributor to the Dark Web Journal. He is an experienced researcher and writer in areas such as decentralization and cryptocurrencies.

How to Access the Dark Web Safely in 2020

5 years ago in Dark Web
How to Access the Dark Web

The internet is much bigger than you realize. You know about Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, Google, and similar websites that you can access with your standard web browsers, but there is also a significant part of the internet – called the dark web – that you can only access using special software.

In this article, you will learn how to access the dark web safely and discover the do and don’ts of surfing the “hidden internet.”

How to Access the Dark Web

Accessing the dark web is actually a lot easier than you may think. It just involves downloading a dark web browser, such as the Tor browser.

However, navigating the dark web is often a chaotic process because sites are not arranged as we have on the surface. Also, most users are anonymous, and it is often used to defraud naive users.

To get on the dark web:

  • Download Tor or any other anonymous browser that can access .onion sites.
  • Start the Tor browser. It works like a regular browser; if you know what you are looking for, just put in a URL, and you will have access to the Onion website.
  • If you do not know where to visit because it is your first time, you can use a search engine that crawls the dark web; an example is the privacy-focused search engine, DuckDuckGo. It is one of the most commonly used search engines on the Tor network. Also, you can find a list of sites to visit on Uncensored Hidden Wiki.

Tips for Navigating the Darknet

how to get on the dark web

Use a VPN to encrypt your internet traffic

Using Tor is not a guarantee that your traffic cannot be tracked. The Tor browser provides some safety by routing your web page requests via a series of proxy servers, hiding your IP address and making your connection untraceable. But, while Tor serves to mask your identity, there are still vulnerabilities to the network. Using a VPN and Tor provides an extra layer of security and helps to reduce some drawbacks of using either technology only.

Steps to use VPN with Tor:

  1. Sign up with a VPN service provider 
  2. Download and install the VPN application
  3. Run the app and select a VPN server
  4. Connect to one of the servers
  5. Open the Tor Browser and browse the dark web

Never use your credit or debit cards for a purchase

Using credit or debit cards for payment for transactions on the darknet is like inviting a thief to your house and yelling ”come and have my money.” You should be skeptical of any website and dark web store that is asking for your state security number or credit/debit card details.

Lots of people know this too, which is why cryptocurrencies are widely used on the dark web. Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin allow you to pay for goods without giving out personal details about yourself. With bitcoin, you are partly anonymous, but with so-called “privacy coins” like Monero, you have better privacy and anonymity.

Use a reputable antivirus software

If you browse the dark web and end up downloading software or pictures, you run the risk of having malware on your PC. It is advisable to ensure your device has trusted security software that is up to date.

Having a good antivirus is one of the toolkits that would help you stay safe when surfing the darknet.

Do not share personal information

One of the best ways to stay safe on the dark web is to ensure you give out no personal information. Moreover, do not send or upload your picture on a site you just visited.

It is best practice not to share any personal information whatsoever when surfing the dark web.

Be careful what you click on

If you click on any links, you may be taken to things you might not want to see. Other than using trusted dark web directory listings, it is strongly advised that not to click on random links.

Even on a dark web directory, pay attention to the URLs. Sites often change their URLs, which means you have to be extra careful to ensure the link is still for the site you intend to visit. It is possible that clicking a link could turn out really bad, like downloading malware or unwittingly accessing illegal content.

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Introducing the Hacker Manifesto: “The Conscience of a Hacker”

5 years ago in Hacking
hacker manifesto

The hacker manifesto is a famous essay that was published on January 8, 1986 by a hacker known as The Mentor. The piece was first published in the hacker zine Phrack, a magazine by and for hackers. The essay is considered one of the most famous descriptions of the philosophy of hackers.

Introducing the Hacker Manifesto

From reading the essay, it would seem The Mentor – whose real name is Loyd Blankenship – wrote the Hacker Manifesto: “The Conscience of a Hacker” as a response to the persecution of hackers in the 80s.

“Another one got caught today, it’s all over the papers. ‘Teenager arrested in computer crime scandal’, ‘Hacker arrested after bank tampering,'” he said at the beginning of the essay. That means the essay must have been inspired by the increased clampdown on hackers. And as a hacker himself, he felt most people did not understand their world.

“This is our world now. The world of the electron and the switch, the beauty of the baud,” The Mentor wrote. “We explore, and you call us criminals. We seek after knowledge, and you call us criminals. We exist without skin color, without nationality, without religious bias, and you call us criminals,” he said, trying to dismiss the negative perception most people have about hackers and creating a new narrative for hackers’ world.

How Hackers Were Molded

The Conscience of a Hacker

The hacker manifesto, which was widely distributed in the Computer Underground (CU) in the 80s, explains how hackers became who they are. 

The essay emphasizes the point that hackers turn to their computers as a form of emotional solace and mental stimulation because they are often misunderstood by their teachers, parents, and peers.

“I’ve listened to the teacher explain for the fifteenth time how to reduce a fraction. I understand it. ‘No, Mrs. Smith, I didn’t show my work. I did it in my head…’ Damn kid. Probably copied it. They’re all alike,” he wrote, explaining how teachers do not understand how they get their work done.

“You bet your ass we’re all alike… We’ve been spoon-fed baby food at school when we hungered for steak… The bits of meat that you did let slip through were pre-chewed and tasteless. We’ve been dominated by sadists, or ignored by the apathetic. The few that had something to teach found us willing pupils, but those few are like drops of water in the desert,” he said concerning how mentally unstimulating school had been for most hackers. They wanted a much bigger problem to solve. However, the classroom only offered them things that didn’t challenge their mental process.

Hacking has a lot to do with problem-solving. Hackers pride themselves in being able to solve hard problems like building complex systems and finding loopholes in other people’s systems. Furthermore, hackers are often more curious than the average person. They want to understand how things work and find weaknesses in the structure.

“Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is that of curiosity. My crime is that of judging people by what they say and think, not what they look like. My crime is that of outsmarting you, something that you will never forgive me for,” The Mentor concluded the essay.

How to Prevent Falling Victim to Phone Hacking

5 years ago in Hacking
phone hacking

Smartphones have become a necessity in the 21st century. Despite its amazing uses, the smartphone is a goldmine for hackers. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to avoid falling victim to phone hacking.

How to Prevent Phone Hacking

Safeguard your password

You must keep your password to yourself or only share it with a few people you trust (like your wife). Also, avoid using the same password for different social media accounts.

Use a mix of unobvious number and letter combinations that have a hidden meaning to you, and change them periodically. Alternatively, you could use a password manager.

Avoid using a public Wi-Fi

If you can, you should always use your mobile internet data and avoid public Wi-Fi. That’s because most public WiFi services are susceptible to hacking. They are usually not secure and cannot guarantee your safety.

Another way to stay out of the clutches of phone hackers is to turn off your automatic Wi-Fi connector. You can do this by visiting your mobile setting, thus, preventing you from connecting to any dangerous Wi-Fi network automatically.

Keep your operating system up-to-date

Download and install phone updates as soon as your device informs you that a new one is available. That is important so that phone hackers do not take advantage of an out-of-date operating system. Outdated software is more susceptible to security breaches.

A significant proportion of hacks exploit vulnerabilities that have already been fixed by software providers. So, do not expose yourself unnecessarily.

You should also not use unauthorized tools to unlock your phone – known as “jailbreaking” on iOS or “rooting” on Android – unless you know exactly what you are doing. Security breaches are easier to execute on these kinds of phones as you are no longer legally protected by the software provider.

Be Careful What You Download!

Whenever you install an app on your smartphone, you are often asked to grant it various permissions, including the ability to read your contacts, messages, access your camera or listen in to your microphone. Once you grant an app access, it can pull your personal data from your phone.

There are legitimate applications that need these capabilities, but it could also be open to abuse. Especially, for applications that you are not familiar with. Do not accept any access requests without thinking. That includes even apps you download on your phone’s app store. Sometimes, it takes weeks before malicious apps are spotted and kicked off an app store.

Whenever you are trying to download a third-party app from an app store, always ensure that it is a legitimate application.

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Browser Fingerprinting

What is Browser Fingerprinting?

Browser fingerprinting is yet another way through which your information is being collected online. In this guide, you will learn

5 Ways Hackers Are Hacking Facebook

5 years ago in Cybersecurity/Hacking
hacking facebook

Facebook is one of the largest social networks in the world, with over two billion accounts, making it a target for black hat hackers. Facebook also has a real name policy, meaning you have to use real information when setting up an account. If someone is hacking Facebook, there is a high probability that your personal information is compromised and can be used for other things. 

Discover the top five most common ways cybercriminals are trying to hack your Facebook account.

Phishing

You would think people have stopped falling for phishing attempts. However, that is not the case.

Phishing usually starts with an email sent to you from what looks like Facebook Support. The email asks you to log in to your account for some reason. The hacker has created a fake login page that looks very close to the original. That is where the email will direct you. Once you put in your login credentials, it saves them. Just like that, the hacker has your information. 

The best way to prevent this is not to click on unknown links and to check carefully whether emails you receive are real or not. Also, turn on phishing blockers on your browser.

Using a Keylogger

Keyloggers are much more rampant than most of the other strategies in this guide. A keylogger records all the keys pressed on a keyboard.

To hack a Facebook account password, hackers create a keylogger server that will run on the victim’s machine, capturing all keystrokes and emailing themselves the records. Keyloggers are spread through malicious websites, pen drives, and USB hard drives. 

A keylogger is particularly dangerous because it can steal sensitive information like bank credentials and other personal information. To learn how to detect a keylogger on your device, check out our guide here.

Plain Password Stealing

Plain password stealing is a common method for Facebook hacking. Therefore, it is important to be aware of this technique. 

facebook hacker

A hacker targets a poorly secured website and hacks their database to steal people’s plain usernames, passwords, and other personal data. That especially works on sites that allow users to sign up or sign in using their social media credentials. Also, most people use the same passwords across different websites, which means if hackers have access to one database, they have access to all your accounts, including Facebook.

To prevent this kind of hack, try not to sign up with your social media credentials on low-quality websites. Some of these sites just store your details in their database without even thinking about encryption or security. 

Another way to protect yourself is to set unique passwords. Do not use the password used on your Facebook account and any other meaningful site for another website/portal.

Corrupted Browser Extensions

This hack comes from downloading harmful browser extensions. You are often prompted to download some browser add-on when you visit malicious websites. Some of these add-ons were created by hackers to be able to control your computer or gain access to your data. Also, these browser add-ons can enable the hacker to perform actions like posting status updates on your wall or liking a Facebook page.

The way to protect yourself from this, do not trust any third party websites hinting that you add a browser extension. You should only install an add-on from the browser store, and only trusted publishers. Ensure you monitor activities on your Facebook account from time to time too, using the Activity Log.  

Social Engineering

Social engineering is information gathering on a person and using that information to gain access to the person’s account. Someone who knows enough about you may be able to get into your account by guessing your password.

A simple way to avoid almost all the hacking tactics listed here is to enable two-factor authentification on your Facebook account. If you set up two-factor authentication, Facebook would ask you to enter a special login code or confirm your login attempt each time anyone tries accessing your account from a computer that Facebook doesn’t recognize.

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What is Tor And is it Illegal?

5 years ago in Dark Web/Privacy
Is tor illegal
Image by torproject.org

One of the best-known tools used on the dark web is Tor. It is one of the largest deployed anonymity networks. The network and the browser support millions of users around the world. 

Aside from the dark web, lots of people also use Tor to search the surface web, the part of the internet everyone uses for everyday activities. However, there are people question the legality of using Tor.

In this article, you will learn about Tor and find out whether it is legal or not.

What is Tor? 

What is Tor
Image by TorProject.org

Tor is short for “The Onion Router”. The Tor Browser is an internet browser that provides anonymity when users access the internet. Users make it difficult for others to track their movement on the internet and location.

Tor grants anonymity on the internet by encrypting users’ data in multiple layers. Sort of like an onion with its multiple layers. Hence, the name.

Tor sends internet traffic through a free, global, volunteer network consisting of thousands of relays to protect a user’s usage from traffic analysis. Anyone can volunteer their computer to be part of the network. Using Tor makes it difficult to track internet activity to a particular user. That includes online postings, visits to websites, chat rooms, and other communication methods.            

Is Tor Illegal?

The question on the lips of anyone who has heard about Tor, using it on the dark web especially, is “is Tor illegal?” 

To answer, you would have to look at one of the reasoning behind developing Tor, which is to provide anonymity. The core principle under guarding Tor, Onion Routing, was developed in the mid-1990s by the United States Naval Research Laboratory employees to protect U.S. intelligence communications online. It came available for the general public for free at a later point. Now, the Tor Project manages it. The Mozilla Foundation also supports the project. 

The project’s mission “to advance human rights and freedoms by creating and deploying free and open-source anonymity and privacy technologies, supporting their unrestricted availability and use, and furthering their scientific and popular understanding.” As seen, there’s nothing in the development of Tor that connotes illegality.

Though Tor can be used for the distribution of illegal pornography, bank fraud, credit card fraud, identity theft, selling controlled substances and weapons, it is no different from the crimes committed on the surface web.

Just as browsing the surface web is not illegal because some people use it to perpetrate crimes, neither is Tor.

So, the answer is no. Using Tor is not illegal!

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What is a Red Hat Hacker?

5 years ago in Hacking
red hat hacker

There are several different types of hackers. Black hat and white hat hackers are arguably the most known. However, there is also the red hat hacker, who we will discuss in this brief guide.

Introducing Red Hat Hackers

Red hat hackers operate in a similar way as the white hat hackers. Both are considered ethical and vigilante hackers. However, to counter the bad guys, red hat hackers use different methods than their white hat counterparts.

For example, they could decide to launch aggressive attacks on black hats by uploading viruses and try to access the hacker’s computer to completely destroy it.

Characteristics of Red Hat Hackers

  • Red hat hackers operate by their own rules. Rather than reporting malicious hackers, they shut them down by taking aggressive actions.
  • They possess a mix of white and black hat hackers’ characteristics. That is, they could use unethical tools or methods for ethical reasons.
  • Red hats are among the smartest in the hacking industry and there are not too many.

How to Become a Red Hat Hacker

what is a red hat hacker

Desiring to be a red hat hacker means you want to be an ethical hacker. Here is how you can get started:

  • The fundamental hacking skill is computer programming. If you don’t know any computer languages, you could start with Python.
  • Get a security certification and find yourself a security position in an organization.
  • Learn the tools of the trade and get yourself ready to hack soonest with your Certified Ethical Hacking (CEH) approval.
  • To get this CEH, you will need to understand certain skills like penetrating testing, reconnaissance, footprinting and social engineering.
  • Learn everything about the CEH. Google is very handy. But there are also other resources that can help you prepare you for what’s ahead.
  • You will also attempt the CEH examination to qualify you for the task and you can get right on with it.

Preserving the data of computer users and saving them from the torture of falling victim to malicious hackers are golden responsibilities for red hat hackers. While their methods may not be everyone’s cup of tea, they usually get the job done.

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Browser Fingerprinting

What is Browser Fingerprinting?

Browser fingerprinting is yet another way through which your information is being collected online. In this guide, you will learn

Deep Web Porn: Dark, Disgusting And Often Illegal

5 years ago in Dark Web
deep web porn

The deep web was built to serve as a database for public and private sector information that cannot be accessed through Google. However, it has also been used to sell disturbing and illegal pornography a part of the hidden internet called the dark web.

In this article, we will introduce you to the disturbing realities of deep web porn. We will also shed light on why this type of (mostly) illegal pornography is able to thrive on the dark web.

Digging Deep Into Deep Web Porn

The dark web has been under scrutiny in the past few years due to the high amount of illegal activity that takes place on it.

dark web porn

The dark web works for regular folks who want to keep their identity hidden from unwanted surveillance and monitoring, like journalists, dissidents, and whistle-blowers who wish to share confidential information from exile or for folks who need the dossier of questionable characters in the society. 

However, a part of the dark web is dedicated to criminal activities, such as scamming, selling illegal products, hacking, and terrorism. Arguably, the most criminal activity on the dark web, however, is the sale of illegal pornography. 

The sad reality is that dark web porn, such as child pornography, is only a few clicks away if you are looking. Aside from been repulsive and gruesome, child pornography is also illegal.

Clampdown on Dark Web Porn

Fortunately, law enforcement agencies are targeting illegal pornography on the dark web. A report from NBC News details the take-down of “Welcome To Video,” one of the biggest child porn marketplaces on the dark web. The now-closed down English-language site was said to have contained more than 200,000 unique videos displaying sex acts involving children, toddlers and infants, and it has processed 7,300 bitcoin transactions.

The report said that users could buy videos using cryptocurrency and also pay for an annual membership, which was priced at 0.03 BTC. Subscribers on the site scored points for uploading new videos or by inviting new members. 

The site only allowed child sexual abuse imagery, which further emphasized the depravity of its owners. The landing page was said to have on it: “Do not upload adult porn.”

The result of the take-down included the arrest and sentencing of the mastermind, Jong Woo Son, and other 300+ users of the site, and a total shutdown of the porn site. 

Moreover, in February 2015, police in the Philippines arrested Australian Peter Scully. They charged him with the creation and distribution of child pornography, which he sold via pay-per-view channels to a global pedophile ring operating on the dark web.

One of the most horrific videos that was allegedly produced is called Daisy’s Destruction. Police who saw the video called it “the worst we have encountered in our years of campaigning against child pornography”. 

While it’s good to hear law that the authorities are working to catch the operators and users of these platforms, there’s the fear that several other deep web porn sites of this kind exist.

Why Does Illegal Porn Thrive on the Dark Web?

The “Welcome To Video” pornography site reportedly ran solely on the dark web. Why did they choose to hang out on the dark web instead of the surface web? That’s because the dark web is a section of the internet designed to protect people’s digital footprints.

Though some of these activities do take place on the surface web, the high degree of anonymity afforded by the Tor network and cryptocurrencies makes it a perfect place for criminals. 

You might say shutting down the dark web could solve all these issues. However, it must be noted that merely accessing the dark web is not a crime. Journalists, activists, and political dissidents around the world use the dark web to exchange information privately.

Law enforcement officials have also been able to use the dark web as a honeypot to trap criminals. 

Top 5 Creepiest Deep Web Videos Ever Found

5 years ago in Dark Web
deep web videos

Hundreds of deep web videos exist. You don’t need to search the dark web for too long to come across them. They range from the horrific and illegal to the weird and bizarre.

In this article, you will find five of the creepiest dark web videos that have ever been found in the darknet. Watch at your own risk!

1. Happy Anniversary

Exactly eight years after the mysterious disappearance of UMass student, Maura Murray, several creepy videos that were relatable to her disappearance hit the internet. One that particularly pulled a lot of reactions had an old man cackle on the camera, before the blackening of the screen, and the appearance of the phrase “Happy Anniversary.”

Although the user’s true identity is still a mystery, a lot of people have connected his name to the street where Murray’s wrecked car was discovered. She has not been found since her disappearance, and naturally, people tried to connect the video with her disappearance. The mysterious username of the poster added fuel to the speculations. However, the police were unable to place anything in the video as substantial evidence.

2. I Feel Fantastic

The “I Feel Fantastic” video shows a spooky animatronic mannequin (Tara) with its head-turning from side to side and its arm jerking. While the movement continues, the lyrics of the song “I feel fantastic” keeps repeating itself over in an appreciating synth line. What makes the deep web video even more creepy is the fact that its poster has not made another upload since the clip dropped. Nothing much happened in the video besides the seeming robotic movement of Tara’s head and arm and the repetition of the phrase. However, the clip gets freaky in two brief moments, in-between the performance of Tara.

The first moment briefly showed what looked like a forest. The camera tries to momentarily zoom in on a pile of leaves, sticks, and dirt. The second moment involved the presence of a few phrases in Tara’s song. The phrases include: “Please leave'” and a reputation of “Run, run, run…”

Both instances have caused a lot of uproar among viewers, with some viewers suspecting the poster of murder.

Some viewers believe that the video offers a clue to Tara’s real fate. Perhaps the poster was her real murderer who created the video out of guilt, subconsciously wishing that he’d be caught through it.

3. Blank Room Soup

The “Blank Room Soup” video is also thought to have emerged from the dark web. At first glance, anybody would think the video to be relatively tame, especially since it only showed a man, eating soup at the table with blacked-out eyes. Somewhere along, a person comes up and starts to pat him on the back. As the patting continues, the eating man begins to sob. After a little while, a second person dressed like the first walks in and appears to be attempting to comfort the crying man.

A lot of people saw it as a prank or a joke when it was uploaded in 2007. After nine years, however, without anybody appearing to claim it, stories have begun to fly around about what the video might have genuinely meant.

Some people believe that the man was crying because he was about to die, while others say that he was forced to eat human remains from the plate. Gross!

4. The Max Headroom Hack

In the year 1987, someone costumed as Max Headroom interrupted two separate programs of popular television channels in Chicago.

During the interruptions, the hacker tried to replicate some of Headroom’s masterpieces. After a while of jumping through different acts, the video cut, and the stations got back to their regular programs.

While there are still no specific reasons for the hacker’s action, there has been a lot of speculations on the reasons behind it. It’s been decades now, and those behind it were never caught.

5. The Elisa Lam Footage

If you’ve heard of just one video on the list, then it is most probably Elisa Lam. The video was released on February 14, 2013, by the LAPD after Lam was declared missing from her hotel room. The footage shows Lam acting rather strangely in the hotel’s elevator. She’s seen fumbling with the buttons in the elevator, probably in an attempt to close the door, but it refuses. She kept trying the buttons over again but keep getting the same result all the time. After a while of repeating the actions, the doors closed.

On February 19, Lam’s body was discovered in one of the rooftop water tanks of the hotel. Investigators pegged her death as an accidental drowning, as there was no sign of suicide or foul play. Many viewers are still speculating that she was either fleeing a pursuer, experiencing a bipolar episode, or under the influence of drugs. Whatever the case, the video is disturbing.

There you have it, five of the creepiest deep web videos ever found but there are lots of others that we haven’t listed. However, be careful what you click on when you are looking at content on the dark web. What you see, you cannot unsee. So, watch with care or better still, not at all!

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Top 5 Dark Web Forums That You Can Access Legally in 2020

5 years ago in Dark Web
dark web forum

Dark web forums can be a great place to discuss a wide variety of topics anonymously and with relative freedom. While there are many message boards for nefarious characters to discuss illicit activities, there are also dozens of perfectly legal deep web forums you can access.

In this article, we share a list of popular dark web forums where you can join others in discussing the dark web, cybersecurity, and more.

RockSolid Light 

best dark web forums

RockSolid Light is one of the most active dark web communities with up to 5K+ active members. The Rocksolid forums are distributed news servers running private newsgroups for numerous user access. The structure of the forum is similar to how Tor works, a network of servers that are always up and reachable.

Rocksolid Light is a good source that has multiple topics including discussion about cryptography, i2p, Tor, Linux, entertainment, Freenet, general news, and even a help desk where you can ask any tech-related questions.

NanoChan

Deep web forums

The user interface and structure of NanoChan shows that it was created for nerds on the dark web. This forum has much more relaxed discussions than many other forums. Members can discuss multiple topics like comics, anime, video games, and there’s another board dedicated to technology.

The forum is not suitable for newbies looking to learn about the dark web. It is set up for people who already know about the dark web and are looking to interact with like-minded techies. The site bans anyone who posts child pornography or links to sites that promote such to keep out unpalatable content.

Raddle

Raddle

Raddle is a Reddit-like forum for people with strong political views. The forum has a surface web version and a .onion site.

The community has several forums that cater to the latest world news, anarchist views, climate change, capitalism, gender discussions, technology, privacy/security, anti-authoritarianism, as well as free, open-source software.

Though the forum allows for diverse views, the forum can still block users’ IP addresses. Additionally, users cannot post more than three submissions in an hour.

EndChan

EndChan

Endchan is an anonymous imageboard on the dark web that allows users to create and moderate their own boards. Members can create boards about anything they want and can contribute to other users’ boards.

The forum features high file size limits, overboard and multi-boards, a feature that allows users to see threads for only selected boards. Every post on the forum links to your IP address unless you make use of Tor or I2P hidden service.

EndChain also has several domains for accessibility and to avoid a single point of failure. It has over seven different domains available on the surface web and Tor network.

Reddit – r/Onions

dark web forum

The r/Onions subreddit has over 143k members, making it one of the largest dark web forum on Reddit. It has a plethora of discussions on everything related to the Tor network, which includes the Tor browser, operating systems, and onion services.

There are discussions about ongoing projects on the Onion network, security vulnerabilities, creating your own onion site, running a Tor bridge, and so on. Aside from advanced talk about Tor, the forum also has a page that caters to newbies. The page answers all the questions you might have concerning the dark web like: “Types of .onion addresses”, “How do I use Tor while on my mobile device?”, the differences between a VPN and Tor, and many more.

The forum takes a strong stance against discussing illicit goods or services. It also does not allow posting reviews of illegal goods or selling illicit goods. 

How to Hide Your IP Address in 2020

5 years ago in Privacy
How to Hide Your IP Address

Learning how to hide your IP address is just as important as safeguarding your physical address from thieves. Today, cyber crimes are becoming as rampant as home burglars. Criminals can monitor our internet activities, collect a bunch of data on us, and hack into our computers.

Aside from illegal tracking by criminals, almost all websites today collect data about you and sell it to advertisers. The data could include your physical address, things you search for, videos you watch, and the ideas or topics that interest you. However, some of this data is misused or sold to researchers without your permission. As a result, it is appropriate that everyone, including everyday internet users, understand the tools available to protect their privacy.

In this article, we identify three tools that can help you hide your IP address while you are browsing the web.

1. Hide IP Address with a VPN

hide IP

A virtual private network is one of the best tools for hiding your IP addresses. The technology has helped many employees work remotely and communicate with their company’s network privately and securely. 

Over the years, several types of VPNs have been developed for business and personal use. Some of the VPN protocols include L2TP/IPsec, OpenVPN, PPTP, and SSTP. With these protocols, you can connect with websites in an encrypted and reliable way. The sites you visit would be unable to collect information about you.

Gladly, you do not need to be a tech expert to set up a VPN. There are several VPN providers today that handle all the technical details of routing your web requests and masking your IP address. Many of these providers also have a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to get started.

2. Hide Your IP Address with Anonymous Browsers

Browsers and search engines are the primary ways we connect to the internet. But most of the popular browsers and search engines monitor our lives and collect data on where we live and what we like.

Note that anonymous browsing is different from private browsing. Though popular browsers like Google give the option of private browsing with “Incognito Mode”, it still does not protect user privacy by hiding the IP address. That is where anonymous browsers come in. So if anonymity, privacy, and security are a big deal for you, then it is best to use anonymous browsers.

Two popular anonymous browsers include:

Tor Browser

Tor is the most popular anonymous browser for hiding IP addresses. It protects you by routing your data through private servers and wrapping it in layers of encryption. The Tor Browser is free and installing it is easy. It is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. Just pick the browser bundle that is compatible with your Operating System and install it.

Brave Browser

Another tool to help you browse anonymously is the Brave Browser. The browser has the option to browse privately on the Tor network. The Tor network protects its users from traffic analysis and network monitoring.

With Tor, Brave users can hide their IP address from Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and visited sites that may be watching and tracking their IP addresses.

3. Hide Your IP Address with a Proxy Server

hide my ip address

A proxy server is another, though, less effective way to hide your IP address. The server is devised to increase your privacy on the web by masking the IP address issued by your ISP and routing all traffic through various servers and addresses.

The easiest way to use a proxy server is to visit a proxy service’s website. Enter the web address you want to go to, and the proxy will route your traffic through various channels and serve you the result.

Using a proxy browser, however, only masks your IP address for web traffic that runs through that browser. Some proxy browser includes Hidester, hide.me, and ProxySite.

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