Release of a new stable branch Tor 0.4.7

presented INSURENCE OF THE INSTARTS tor 0.4. 7.7 used to organize the work of the anonymous network Tor. The version of Tor 0.4.7.7 is recognized as the first stable production of the branch 0.4.7, which has developed for the last ten months. Branch 0.4.7 will be accompanied by the full -time escort cycle – the production of updates will be stopped after 9 months or 3 months after the release of the branch 0.4.8.x.

Basic Changes in new branch :

  • added implementation of the transshipment control protocol = “https://gitlab.torproject.org /tpo/core/torspec/-/blob/main/proposals/324-rtt-congestation-control.txt”>CONGESTION CONTROL ) when passing a request throughout the TOR network (between the client and the output unit or an output service ) aimed at reducing the size of the queues on relay and overcoming current restrictions on the throughput. Until now, the speed of one load flow through the output nodes and onion services has not exceeded 1 MB/Sec, since the shipment window has a fixed size of 1000 cells per stream and in each cell you can send 512 bytes of data (flow rate = 1000*512/ 0.5 = ~ 1 MB/SEC, where 0.5 is a delay in the chain).

    To predict the available throughput in the new protocol, an assessment of the reception and transfer time (RTT, Round Trip Time) is used. The conducted modeling showed that the use of a new protocol on the output nodes and onion services will lead to a decrease in the delay in line, removing restrictions on the flow rate, increase the performance of the TOR network and more optimal use of available throughput. On the side of the client, support for the new protcol will be proposed on May 31 in the next significant issue of Tor Browser, supplied with Tor 0.4.7.

  • added strengthened protection vanguars- LITE from conducting attacks on deanonymization of short-lived onion services, which reduces the risk of defining patrol units (Guard) Onion Service or Onion Client, in the conditions when the service has been operating for less than a month (it is recommended to use the addition Vanguarts ). The essence of the method is that onion clients and services automatically choose 4 long-workn-based patrol units (“Layer 2 Guard Relay” for use in the middle of the chain and these nodes are saved by random time (on average).
  • For servers Directory implemented The ability to appoint a Middleonly flag with the use of a new method for achieving consensus. The new method implies the removal of the logic of the Middleonly flag from the client’s level to the side of the Directory servers. Flags Exit, Guard, HSDIR and V2DIR are automatically removed for relay marks of the marked Middleonly, and the Badexit flag is set.
/Media reports.