How does Tor work? Explained in a simple and understandable way

Have you often asked yourself how the Tor program works? In this practical tip you will learn everything about the browser, the VPN and anonymity.

Quick information about Tor

The letters of the word Tor are an acronym for "The Onion Router". It is translated as the onion router. The structure of the program is similar to that of an onion. The different layers of encryption are there to protect the data.

• The Tor software is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Tor anonymizes data traffic. The data is sent via servers distributed worldwide before it reaches your destination.
• There are a total of 4000 nodes that are spread across many countries worldwide. As a user, this gives you as much anonymity as possible and numerous connection options.
• As a user, you can also create a server and contribute another node for better functioning.

How does Tor work?

• If you download Tor, you will also receive the Vidalia program. You can start, stop and change settings using this graphical control surface.
• If you now call up a website, the direct connection between the PC and the server of the page accessed is interrupted. You are now connected via a series of secret nodes. These encrypt the received and sent data.
• The encrypted information is then decrypted again on your PC, the starting node. You will ultimately receive the file as a normal file. Now the data is no longer protected.

Gate security

• The Tor program offers you anonymity when used correctly. However, privacy is not always guaranteed. For example, data can be intercepted before the last node and thus read.
• Plug-ins are also a possible weak point. The use of certain plug-ins endangers anonymity. Tor is currently working on a solution to the problem.

Alternatives for goal

• Alternatives to the anonymous browser are JonDo, an encrypted VPN and web proxies.

In the next practical tip, we will show you whether Tor is legal.