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Read Tor Browser User Manual for information on how to use Tor. Consider using secure systems in order of complexity:Tails, Whonix and Qubes.

Ready-to-import bookmarks: /03_DOCUMENTS/import_bookmarks_from_html.html

Tails easy install script from Debian or Ubuntu: tails_install_v2.sh

Tails easy install script from Debian or Ubuntu: tails_install_v1.sh


The Basics of the Dark Web Secure TailsOS Setup For The Average Dark Web Enjoyer Bad Opsec - How Tor Users Got Caught
DEF CON 30 - Sam Bent - Tor - Darknet Opsec By a Veteran Darknet Vendor Cyber Security: Why Is This (Still) So Hard? General Michael V. Hayden, former Director of the NSA and CIA
Twitter Hacker Faces 77 Years in Prison This image Can Hack You (The .webp Exploit)
How is Interpol experimenting with policing the metaverse? - BBC News The Loli Police Department in VRChat
All PHP Applications are Vulnerable World's Most SECURE Data Center
 Behind the Hacks: The Origins of Anonymous | Cyberwar  Where People Go When They Want to Hack You
Tor Settings for Dark Web

Tor Browser Security Settings

Privacy Preferences (about:preferences#privacy)

To access privacy preferences, go to (CTRL + L):

about:preferences#privacy

Adjust the following settings:

Tor Network Settings (about:preferences#tor)

To configure Tor network settings, navigate to (CTRL + L):

about:preferences#tor

Configure the following options:

How Tor Bridges Work

Tor bridges are specialized relays used to bypass censorship and enhance your privacy when connecting to the Tor network. They are particularly useful in situations where access to the Tor network is restricted or monitored by ISPs or governments.

When you connect to the Tor network, your ISP can see that you are using Tor based on the distinctive network traffic patterns it generates. This can lead to censorship or monitoring of Tor usage.

Tor bridges help in circumventing this detection by acting as intermediary relays that are not publicly listed in the main Tor directory. They employ various techniques, such as obfuscation (e.g., obfs4 protocol - Get Bridges Here), to disguise Tor traffic as regular encrypted traffic, making it harder for ISPs to detect and block.

When to Use Tor Bridges


Advanced Configuration (about:config)

To access advanced configuration settings, go to (CTRL + L):

about:config
Basic Configuration

Adjust the following basic settings:

Advanced Configuration (Enhanced Privacy Settings)

Configure these settings carefully to enhance your privacy and security (*take care with fingerprinting):



KVM — Using Whonix with KVM (Kernel Virtual Machine)
https://whonix.org/wiki/KVM


HVM — Use any desktop OS without leaving a trace with HiddenVM
https://github.com/aforensics/HiddenVM


Whonix — How to set up Whonix VM with VirtualBox (Oracle®) Always prefer the live system mode that doesn't leave any kind of forensic trace. Always prefer Linux as a host.

1. Check that you have the required computer specification:

Hardware requirements:

For optimal performance: 8 GB of RAM.

Processor: A quadcore, 64-bit x86-64 compatible.

Storage device: Minimum of 32 GB.

https://forums.whonix.org/t/recommended-specs/9679

2. Automatic installation for Linux:

https://whonix.org/wiki/Linux

3. Manual installation for Linux:

https://whonix.org/wiki/Debian#Debian


TailsOS VM — How to setup TailsOS VM with VirtualBox (Oracle®)
Credits: https://github.com/SuleimanGithub/how-to-setup-tails-os-vm

Introduction:

Welcome to the tutorial on creating a VirtualBox with TailsOS, Oracle VM VirtualBox is simple yet powerful as it can be run from a multitude of devices such as small embedded systems to datacenter deployments whilst TailsOS is a portable operating system that protects against surveillance and censorship.

Always prefer the live mode that doesn't leave any kind of forensic trace. Always prefer Linux as a host.

1. Check that you have the required computer specification:

Hardware requirements:

For optimal performance: 8 GB of RAM.

Processor: A quadcore, 64-bit x86-64 compatible.

Storage device: Minimum of 32 GB.

Edited because of: https://forums.whonix.org/t/recommended-specs/9679

How can I check my system's hardware?

Click the Start button and type "system information" then open it.

You can find most of the details you need on the first page, in the System Summary node.

You can also expand each node in the left pane for additional information.

2. Setting up the VirtualBox:

What is a VirtualBox?

In short, VirtualBox is a tool developed by Oracle to allow running multiple operating systems simultaneously. This allows easier software installations, better testing, faster disaster recovery, and it significantly reduces hardware and electricity costs.
The complete introduction can be found here:
virtualbox.org - Chapter 1. First Steps


How to install the VirtualBox?

You can install VirtualBox by downloading the executable file for your operating system.
The download page that can be found here:
virtualbox.org - Downloads

3. Setting up Tails OS:

Running Tails in a virtual machine is easy. First, you need to download an ISO (Optical Disc Image) with the latest Tails Operating System (OS). This ISO image will be used to emulate inserting a CD into our VirtualBox to set up our Tails OS machine.
The Tails OS ISO image can be found here:
tails.net - Downloads

Running Tails in a virtual machine:

Start VirtualBox, and follow the instructions below: A) To create a new virtual machine:
  1. Choose Machine â–¸ New
  2. In the Name and operating system screen, specify:
    • A name of your choice.
    • Type: Linux.
    • Version: Other Linux (64 bit).
    • Click Next.
  3. In the Memory size screen:
    • Allocate at least 2048 MB of RAM.
    • Click Next.
  4. In the Hard drive screen:
    • Choose Do not add a virtual hard drive.
    • Click Create.
    • Click Continue in the warning dialog about creating a virtual machine without a hard drive.
B) To configure the virtual machine to start from our ISO image:
  1. Select the new virtual machine in the left pane.
  2. Choose Machine â–¸ Settings....
  3. Select System in the left pane.
  4. In the Extended Features section of the Motherboard tab, make sure that Enable I/O APIC is enabled.
  5. Select Storage in the left pane.
  6. Select Empty below Contoller IDE in the Storage Tree selection list in the right pane.
  7. Click on the CD icon on the right of the window and select Choose a virtual CD/DVD disk file... to browse for the ISO image you want to start Tails from.
  8. Check the Live CD/DVD option.
  9. Click OK.
C) To start the new virtual machine:
  1. Select the virtual machine in the left pane.
  2. Click Start.


Attacks on Tor — Thirteen Years of Tor Attacks

Attacks on Tor — Thirteen Years of Tor Attacks

https://github.com/Attacks-on-Tor/Attacks-on-Tor

LightEater Demo: Stealing GPG keys/emails in Tails via remote firmware infection

https://youtube.com/watch?v=sNYsfUNegEA


Dark Web Infographics

The Dark Web - A Time Line

Credits: https://betanews.com/2020/03/13/happy-birthday-dark-web/

Dark Web Markets (2017) - Europol

Dark Web - Price Index 2022

Others: https://github.com/bibanon






REFERENCES

International Organizations
Cybercrime Reports and Analysis
Dark Web and Deep Web Links
Scraping and Inspecting Deep Web Links
Miscellaneous