What is Tor Hidden Service Protocol?
The protocol by which Tor onion services establish and maintain their hidden network presence, using introduction points and rendezvous points.
The hidden service protocol ensures that neither the server's location nor the client's identity is revealed during connection.
Steps
- Service setup: The hidden service connects to introduction points in the Tor network
- Service descriptor: Published to the Tor distributed hash table, containing introduction point info
- Client request: Client downloads the descriptor and chooses a rendezvous point
- Introduction: Client sends a message through an introduction point asking the service to connect to the rendezvous point
- Rendezvous: Both parties connect to the rendezvous point through separate Tor circuits
- Communication: Data flows through the rendezvous point, with neither party knowing the other's IP
Security Properties
- 6 Tor relays total (3 per side) between client and service
- No single relay knows both endpoints
- Traffic is encrypted at every hop
Related Terms
Onion Routing
A technique for anonymous communication over a computer network where messages are encapsulated in layers of encryption, analogous to layers of an onion. Each relay decrypts one layer to reveal the next destination, but no single relay knows both the origin and final destination.
Onion Service
A website or service hosted within the Tor network that is only accessible through Tor, providing anonymity for both the server and its visitors.
Tor Network
A free, open-source software and network that enables anonymous communication by directing Internet traffic through a worldwide volunteer overlay network of thousands of relays. Tor conceals users' locations and usage from surveillance and traffic analysis.
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