Snoops can identify Tor users given enough time, experts say

A recent academic paper (PDF) shows “that Tor faces even greater risks from traffic correlation than previous studies suggested.” In other words, one of the world’s best tools for keeping online speech anonymous is at risk in a previously known—but now even clearer—fashion.

In the wake of a recent uptick of Tor usage (whether from a botnet or from people inspired by former National Security Agency [NSA] contractor Edward Snowden), a reminder of these risks is certainly germane to today’s Internet.

The new research has shown that a potential adversary with control of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) or autonomous systems (ASes) that have large-scale network control (like an ISP), could expose and identify a Tor user, given enough time.

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