#TorBridges

Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
2025-12-12

@m @TheVampireFishQueen @boggits @flangey @neil the tech is out there and cannot be contained.

If I were a schoolkid in the #UK I'd be making ££££ selling USB flashdrives with @tails_live / @tails / #Tails on and setting up custom @torproject / #Tor / #TorBridges for my peers.

  • Alas I'm not and thus do the next best thing and rather do a #CryptoParty to teach others how.to use Tails, Tor, #Monero, #SSH, #VPN|s, etc.
Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
2025-10-21

@lothar @virgil_tibbs @tobi Problem ist und bleibt dass @signalapp nicht nur zentralisiert ist sondern wegen #Rufnummer-Zwang samt Bestätigungs-#SMS diese direkt als Überwachungsziel für #Roskomnadnozr markiert...

Dann doch besser #Tails und ein paar private #TorBridges...

infosec.space/@kkarhan/1154114

Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
2025-10-03

@mrmasterkeyboard not only protests but actively subverting it.

Or do you too remember that iconic #Copaganda poster by the #NCA?

#sarcasm #UKpol #OSA #UK #Cyberfascism

NCA copaganda poster demanding parents to snitch on their childreb fir using Tor, VirtualBox, Kali Linux, WiFi Pineapple, Discord and Metasploit
Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
2025-09-10

@Tutanota the most important part is to make such #Cyberfascism impossible to #enforce by going out of one's way to "#EncryptHarder"!

If we solely rely on #TechIlliiterates & #Cyberfascists like #Zensursula from @EUCommission to concede and apologize we might just give up already (pretty shure she has not apologized to @MOGiS to this day!)

  • The only way we can guarantee our #inalienable #HumanRights ist be making them truly inalienable and letting politicans know said rights are as non-negotiable as the ban on "#DeathPenalty" aka. State-endorsed murder!
Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
2025-08-06

@adisonverlice @torproject OFC public WiFi also has it's drawbacks.

Either way, finding an #anonymous #FreePublicWiFi even in #Germany is easier and faster than getting #roaming #SIM anonymously...

Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
2025-05-04

@torproject Q: I wish there was a similar tool test #Bridges, as bridges.torproject.org/scan/ is not that good and I don't want to hammer it with dozens of addresses, cuz at best that's quite antisocial if not possibly trigger responses assuming this is an intelligence gathering operation.

  • Ideally sone standalone binary that one can just give a list of #TorBridge|s in a text file (similar to the way one can just past them in at #TorBrowser) would help.

I.e.

bridgetest -v4 obfs4 203.0.113.0:80 …

bridgetest -v6 webtunnel [2001:DB8::1]:443 …

bridgetest -list ./tor.bridges.list.private.tsv
  • But maybe #onionprobe already does that. In that case please tell me to "#RTFM!"

Similarly there needs to be a more granular way to request #TorBridges from #BridgeDB (as it's basically impossible to get #IPv4 #Webtunnel addresses nor is there an option to filter for #ports like :80 & :443 to deal with restrictive #firewalls (i.e. on public #WiFi)…

  • there are flags like ipv6=yes but neither ipv4=yes nor ipv6=no yielded me other resultd than #IPv6 webtunnel bridges…

And before anyone asks: Yes, I do have a "legitimate purpose" as some of my contacts do need Bridges to get beyond a mandatory firewall and/or do use #TorBrowser (through an #SSH tunnel) to circumvent Tor & #VPN blocks and maintain privacy (as many companies do block sometimes entire #Hosters' ASNs due to rampant #scrapers

Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
2025-03-06

I really need to dive into setting up webtunnel #TorBridges...

@torproject

Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
2025-03-02

#WhatsMissing: A tool to check if #TorBridges are still available/online/reachable that one can use either #standalone (with #TorBrowser and/or #Tor Expert Bundle) or on @tails_live / @tails / #Tails.

  • Cuz I do run into issues and kinda want to sort #Bridges by availability so I don't waste time on a #TorBridge that is down and also thin-out the list of bridges that ain't online anymore.

Whilst I do acknowledge that @torproject do disrecommend having a huge list of Tor Bridges on hand, I do regularly need them for contacts who are behind a #GreatFirewall and can't #SSH-Tunnel out of it.

Espechally being able to filter for #IPv4only and not just #IPv6only is something I miss, alongside the filter for #PluggableTransports type as @guardianproject #Orbot seems to only handle #obfs4 and not webtunnel or #meek at all...

  • I'm pretty certain that merely pinging a bridge at it's port isn't working as a shure-fire way to check for it's availability.
Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
2025-01-27

@wmd @miqokin I've yet to find a nation that criminalizes @torproject but not #VPN|s that facilitate the same...

  • Also commercial VPN providers are relatively easy to detect, filter & block unless they support #SSH-Tunneling.

Whereas #Tor has multiple ways to circumvent #InternetCensorship, includibg multiple #proxy & 9bfuscation systems like #obfs4, #meek, #webtunnel and regular #TorBridges on included, public query-able amd private lists...

Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
2024-12-17

One thing that @torproject is missing is a way to check availability and reachability of #Bridges with a simple tool.

  • This is kinda vital as I do occasionally setup private #bridges and also want to enshure the private #TorBridges list I have is up to date.

Manually adding/removing one #bridge after the other in #TorBrowser and see if those connect is a relatively inefficient process and merely pinging them isn't viable either, espechally on #meek, #obfs4 and #snowflake type bridges.

  • Now to make the obvious clear: I'd NEVER publicly list any #TorBridge on my lists.d repo obviously, because that would only harm #Tor...

I'm not even asking for like a fancy tool that is as clean as @micahflee 's #OnionShare but merely a #CLI thing (if necessary I'd build some #bash script) to automatically attempt to connect to said bridge and either spit out an ok or error.

  • Something one can just feed with a text file and that'll spit out a different file with ok/working bridges and/or discards the non-working ones from the list.

And yes, this tool is kinda crucial as I want to quickly sift through a load of bridges that work on restricted ports (22, 80, 443) and thus can bypass the #GreatFirewall and #Roskomnadzor filtering...

  • So people fleeing can at least safely communicate.

If anyone at #TorProject needs more details, I'll gladly exchange them in a secure manner.

Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
2024-10-10

@sodiboo @ipg cuz people use #Steam's #Chat to circumvent #Roskomnadnozr's #InternetCensorship and exchange @torproject / #TorBridges over it...

Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
2024-08-31

@ActuallyAubrey That depends on the juristiction in question, the plan & provider in question as well as used hardware in question.

  • In case of even remotely suspected #Stalkerware I do recommend to get personally-owned, controlled, secured and hidden hardware to enable unsurveiled comms.

Consider telephony & SMS inherently & unfixably insecure.

  • If in doubt get a new Android with an anonymous prepaid SIM that has affordable data options and use @torproject / #TorBrowser and #Orbot with #TorBridges on ports 80 & 443 which use #meek & #webtunnel transports, so any surveiling party will only see non-suspicious HTTPS traffic.

OFC a maliciously configured CPE/Router can log & report all pachets that travel through, but #DNS & #HTTP or any unencrypted comms are susceptible.

Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
2024-05-26

I still think a #VendingMachine not just for like #VPN's but private #TorBridges ( @torproject ) and like USB sticks with @tails_live / #Tails preloaded would be kinda awesome...

criticalengineering.org/projec

Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
2024-04-10

@mcp Fuck #Roskomnadzor and #Russia's #Cyberfacism!

starts up extra #Snowflake #proxies and private @torproject / #TorBridges to piss off #Putin and his regime even harder

Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
2024-03-25

@torproject I did and do occasionally setup private #TorBridges on demand...

Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@infosec.space
2024-02-17

#WhatsMissing:
A #TorBridges #Bot on the #Fediverse which allows people to interact with #BridgeDB and just fill out:
- IPv4 or IPv6
- vanilla, obfs4, meek or webtunnel
- restricted ( 80 / 443 ) or unrestricted ports.

1. One can just DMs it i.e. "get bridge IPv4 webtunnel restricted".
2. it replies with a captcha (may it be image or audio)...
3. if solved replies with a bridge that fits these criteria...
4. to prevent spamming the bot with a single account, it has progressive timeouts and will mute/softblock users for 5 minutes per request at minimum and triples that after each until it maxes out at 24hrs. It also has a blocklist against spammers and certain instances...
5. the entire conversation gets deleted by the bot after 1 hour.

I think that's better than the allow-listing of the #eMail bot.
bridges.torproject.org

#Tor #TorBridge #Mastodon #bots #ActivityPub #development #API

Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@mstdn.social
2023-11-22

@a000d4f7a91939d0e71df1646d7a48 @torproject I guess someone's doing traffic analysis of #TorBrowser...

Ideally I recommend people to stock up on #TorBridges via #BridgeDB beforehand...

mstdn.social/@kkarhan/11143686

Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@mstdn.social
2023-11-19

And yes, I've already tooted about @torproject 's #BridgeDB having need to improvement i.e. being able to filter #TorBridges for ports, type, IPv4 or IPv6 and so on.

I've slowly acquired a list of 49 bridges that I do share with trusted contacts in need...

OFC not the whole one as I want them also get some of their own - decentralization is key...

Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@mstdn.social
2023-11-19

@torproject Not to mention it being used in more and more #Cyberfacist regimes to preemptively detain and harrass and detain people without charges.

And yes, that also happens in the global "west"...
mstdn.social/@kkarhan/11053313

So let the #Wumao at least work for their sweet entries manually farming #BridgeDB @ bridges.torproject.org aka.
yq5jjvr7drkjrelzhut7kgclfuro65 for #TorBridges...

Kevin Karhan :verified:kkarhan@mstdn.social
2023-11-19

Someone naively asked me "Why don't you make a #TorBridges #list in your repo?

github.com/greyhat-academy/lis

Well, this is because that would subvert @torproject and it's voluneer's efforts to maintain #accessibility for those that need #TorBridges to even get #Internet access.

basically #doxxing these #Bridges and resulting in users having a harder time to access #Tor by making it harder to circumvent #InternetCensorship.

Because guess who would immediately crawl it?
The Regimes that #BlockTor.

Client Info

Server: https://mastodon.social
Version: 2025.07
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