Re: SoC Project: Improving Hidden Service Security and Usability

[Ringo <2600denver@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe someone made HS
security/usability improvements a while ago which included the
username:passphrase option and making it possible to keep the URL hidden
from anyone except those who are provided the URL?"

As far as I know, no such feature has been implemented. No security
would be gained by such a feature anyways. If you don't give your hidden
service address to anybody, nobody will ever find it. One could
theoretically guess addresses, in which case you can add a password
through htaccess or any number of readily available scripts/programs.

"Could you please setup or describe how to use a CAPTCHA in the form of
a 'word of the day'?"

I'm dealing with how to set up a general system, not anything specific
to any particular system. How is this different from a password? If
somebody knows a password, you can assume that they are allowed in. You
could rotate passwords, but how would you communicate them to the
intended user?

"3. Could you please make it possible or describe how to setup forums in
a secure fashion?"

My goal is to make a standard Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP installation as
'secure' as possible. This would include forums or whatever else you
would like.

"4. Other services which an administrator could offer would be great.
Maybe a blog?  However, to me the use a forums in OnionLand is most
interesting and useful; for example a section of the forums could be a
quasi-blog."

Blog hosting systems already exist, such as (IIRC) Hidden Hosting.

"I have always been interested in the idea of a colo-HS"

Bad idea as you lose your anonymity and data integrity.

"I know the old 'how-to' for running a node on *nix included info on
setting up FDE but the directions are/were very clunky and hard to follow."

The Ubuntu Alternate Install CD makes it very easy to do full disk
encryption and if you use Windows, Truecrypt is a good option.




Chris Humphry wrote:
> Hi Ringo,
> 
> Thanks for your soon to be improvements!   I have a couple of requests/questions if you do not mind:
> 
> 1. I believe the current state of Hidden Service (HS) is one where access to an HS can be username:passphrase protected?  Please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe someone made HS security/usability improvements a while ago which included the username:passphrase option and making it possible to keep the URL hidden from anyone except those who are provided the URL?  (ie. 'Toogle' (sp?) (Tor-google) will not 'find' the HS URL if the administrator of the HS chooses to keep the URL private).
> 
> If the above is correct could you please make it possible, or describe how an administrator could setup the HS access page (ie username:passphrase)  to accept a PGP key in place of username:passphrase?  Or maybe a username:PGP key to access the HS?
> 
> 2. Could you please setup or describe how to use a CAPTCHA in the form of a 'word of the day'?  For example, the police have a "color of the day", a colored band they where when in plain cloths.  This color changes everyday.  If they are in question to clothed police they can show the color of the day to prove they really are police.  In this fashion an administor could setup a 'word (or phrase) of the day' (or week, etc).  The administor could contact the members via TorPM (for example) to tell them the new 'word of the day'.  Thus an adversay would need a legitamte members private PGP key AND the 'word of the day' to access the HS.
> 
> 3. Could you please make it possible or describe how to setup forums in a secure fashion?  I like the idea of "Onion Forum" but I have no idea if it's setup in a secure fashion or not.  
> 
> 4. Other services which an administrator could offer would be great.  Maybe a blog?  However, to me the use a forums in OnionLand is most interesting and useful; for example a section of the forums could be a quasi-blog.
> 
> 5. I have always been interested in the idea of a colo-HS.  Could you please describe how one could be setup?  And could you please detail the associated risks vs benefits?  I have in my minds eye that running a colo-HS is not a good...
> 
> 6. I know this might be asking too much but info/scripts to setup FDE (Full Disk Encryption) would be great!  I know the old 'how-to' for running a node on *nix included info on setting up FDE but the directions are/were very clunky and hard to follow. 
> 
> Thanks!  (and sorry if some of those are stupid requets)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>