How Does Tor Really Work? The Definitive Visual Guide (2023)
The United States Naval Research Laboratory developed The Onion Routing Protocol (Tor) to protect U.S. intelligence communications online. Ironically, Tor has seen widespread use by everyone - even those organisations which the U.S. Navy fights against.
You may know Tor as the hometown of online illegal activities, a place where you can buy any drug you want, and a place for all things illegal. Tor is much larger than what the media makes it out to be. According to Kings College much of Tor is legal.
When you normally visit a website, your computer makes a direct TCP connection with the website’s server. Anyone monitoring your internet could read the TCP packet. They can find out what website you’re visiting and your IP address. As well as what port you’re connecting to.
If you’re using HTTPS, no one will know what the message said. But, sometimes all an adversary needs to know is who you’re connecting to.
