[tor-dev] [GSoC '16] Status Report #2 - Exitmap Improvements Project

[Mridul Malpotra <mridul.malpotra@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hey everyone.

This is my second status report for the Exitmap improvements project.
These 2 weeks, I was building up on the browser automation aspect to
allow for browser interactions on Exitmap scans. These will better
help disguise scanner activity against malicious exit nodes that might
not act like an adversary when they detect scanner-like behavior in
the client.

Work and details:
-----------------------
1. I am using the Selenium WebDriver Python bindings to help in
simulating browser actions. Have implemented some simple actions in
Selenium and have also taken inspiration from the Tor Browser Selenium
library suggested by the community.
2. Have included actions like opening a random number of links on the
webpage in the same page, new tab or another window. Tried to get
clickable elements of a webpage but facing some issues with dynamic
pages where buttons do not enabled instantly.
3. Added browser_simulation.py that allows for a module to import the
functions use the simulate() function with the intended URL to
performs these operations. Some problems in these functions with some
websites. Could be due to dynamic content. Needs to be fixed.

Problems faced:
----------------------
1. Major issue that I am facing is with the multiple invocations of
the module for every exit node. The asynchronous calls are throttled
due to the more serial Selenium calls to the TBB driver. I have not
found a working solution for this as of now, which makes the tests
running with browser automation to be much slower.
2. For some operations like opening tabs, I could not find defined
library calls, leading to more hackier ways to complete these
operations. This often leads to unexpected behavior and needs to be
fixed.

Future plans:
-----------------
As continuous scanning is more important toward the project, I will be
focusing on that for the moment and revisiting browser automation
after I complete the former.
My next report is due on 1st July.

I also have submitted the report a week late due to unexpected
complete disconnect from internet in the area I was at that moment for
6 days. This caused my work to stop for some time and I apologize for
the irregularity. Immediately having shifted to a metropolitan city, I
will ensure my reports will now be on time and work will progress
without hindrance.

Regards,
-- 
Mridul
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