How to properly & safely access the dark web
In this article, I will teach you how you can access the dark web safely. However, before we get into that, I’d like to explain to the uninitiated what the “dark web” actually is.
While this is completely true, what is most important you understand, is that the “dark web” would not be possible without the TOR technology.
“Tor, short for The Onion Router, is free and open-source software for enabling anonymous communication.It directs Internet traffic via a free, worldwide, volunteer overlay network that consists of more than seven thousand relays.
Using Tor makes it more difficult to trace a user’s Internet activity. Tor protects personal privacy by concealing a user’s location and usage from anyone performing network surveillance or traffic analysis.[9] It protects the user’s freedom and ability to communicate confidentially through IP address anonymity using Tor exit nodes.” ” ~ Wikipedia.org
Here’s a diagram that showcases a typical , successful TOR connection:
Now that you understand the technology you’re using, let’s see how you can safely access websites/services that are served through TOR (dark web websites).
Do not use your daily driver!
As many of you know, these companies have a bad reputation at keeping privacy private. Data is being sent back to these Apple and Microsoft all the time, as such , we will want to avoid these operating systems at all costs.
The best operating system for : avoiding surveillance,censorship and malware, is Tails. Tails (“The Amnesic Incognito Live System”) is a debian-based distro with actual privacy in mind.
It works as a live operating system, meaning , you will be running it directly from you flash drive. Nothing to store on the drive. It runs on RAM, giving the end-user the ability to use their computer freely, without having to worry about someone snooping around their hard drive/ssd , gathering sensitive information.
Here is a video teaching you how to install and use Tails OS
After you have booted from the Tails flash drive, another important aspect is the browser’s security.
On Tails, the default browser is Tor Browser. This is an alternate Firefox with the ability to connect to the Tor network, and also a few extra security measures.
What is important now is to harden the security of the browser itself.
about:preferences#privacy
This is the link you’’re going to have to access.After clicking on it, change your browser’s security to “Safest”. This will ensure that no JavaScript will run on the client side (on your browser), and any kind of media are click-to-play. Meaning , that nothing malicious will automatically happen, unless you mess up yourself.
Some malicious websites contain javascript code that could hijack your browser temporarily, or even try to install malware on your computer . So it is important to disable JS.
Just now, you can start surfing the dark web.
Popular search engine for the dark web:
That’s it?
Well, not entirely. Sure, this will give you almost the best chances you can have at remaining anonymous on the dark web, however, you also need to have good OPSEC. Don’t enter any credentials on any .onion website. Don’t reveal any personally identifiable information . You get the idea!
Stay safe!
