Even though security researchers are not always certain how to deal with the current generation of cyberattacks, preparations for the future are already underway. A new generation of internet criminality is just around the corner. This means a new and improved version of Tor will need to be developed to combat these threats.
Tor Could Do With Some Major Improvements
For quite some time, Internet criminals assumed they could remain anonymous when using Tor. Over the past few years, it has become apparent that is not the case, as plenty of people have been deanonymized when using the software. This is a significant threat to users of Tor, and a solution has to be created.
Solving this problem will be a bit more difficult than most people anticipate, though. For now, the entire project remains funded by the US government, and it is doubtful they will ever allow a properly working anonymity service. After all, doing so would not be in their best interest by any stretch of the imagination.
Moreover, Tor was never designed to be a complete anonymity solution by any means. Its primary purpose is to add another layer of privacy to Internet usage in general, but there is only so much technology can do. While some people may feel relay adversaries are a significant threat to the Tor network, they are not the primary concern right now.
This is one of the downsides of dealing with open source projects, as anyone in the world can run a Tor Relay these days. If someone decides to become a malicious actor, some users will be anonymized in the process. Although this number may be small, it is a threat to take into account. Taking things to a scale such as deanonymizing the entire network, would be next to impossible from a financial perspective.
Upgrading Tor to address new potential threats is not a straightforward task. Finding the right balance between anonymity and usability is a lot more complicated than people give it credit for. Moreover, the Tor Browser is already a lot slower than most mainstream consumers are used to. Sacrificing even more speed for the benefit of additional privacy is not an option worth considering right now.
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